Germany needs more LNG to complement renewables, IEA says

(EurActiv, 21 Feb 2020) The International Energy Agency has praised Germany’s push for wind and solar power but urged the country to increase LNG imports in order to reach its 65% renewable energy target for 2030. EURACTIV Germany reports.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) received praise from IEA director Fatih Birol as the agency presented its country report for Germany on Wednesday (19 February).

Considering that the country recently missed its climate targets for 2020, this was by no means self-evident.

Germany could set an “example for other countries” in the energy transition, Birol said in Berlin as he presented the IEA report on Germany, the first since 2013.

In his presentation, Birol positioned Germany in a global context: According to the report, the ones able to claim the lion’s share of global CO2 reductions last year were mainly the EU and the US.

Within Europe, Germany had a “remarkable reduction” with 8% less CO2 emissions than in the previous year, “the largest reduction since the 1950s”.

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EurActiv, 21 Feb 2020: Germany needs more LNG to complement renewables, IEA says