BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th April, 2023) Germany has not yet ensured reliable energy supplies in the short- and long-term, despite decreasing gas prices, President of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) Peter Adrian said on Tuesday.
"Despite decreasing gas prices, energy costs remain high for most German companies. At the same time, we still have not resolved the issue with reliable energy supplies. It concerns both the winter of 2023-2024 and the long-term," Adrian told the Rheinische Post newspaper, adding that Germany should do everything it can to boost energy market supplies.
By securing reliable energy supplies, Germany could avoid or at least mitigate a shortage of energy and rising prices in the coming months, the DIHK chief noted.
Many German companies now count on the extension of the operation of the country's three remaining nuclear power plants (NPP), due to the existing risks regarding energy security, with some of the DIHK committees supporting this position, according to Adrian.
Germany is set to disconnect its last three NPPs � Isar II, Neckarwestheim II, and Emsland � from the grid on April 15. Initially, Berlin planned to unplug all nuclear power plants by the end of 2022, but last fall it decided to keep the three plants running due to the energy crisis in the country. On January 1, 2022, Germany had already decommissioned three other NPPs.
