© plainpicture / Mölleken
The exit from fossil fuels is pivotal to the energy transition. Along with the cessation of power generation from coal, a gas phase-out is therefore crucial in enabling Germany to achieve its climate targets. Most of the natural gas required in Germany is burned to produce heat for buildings or to support industrial processes; only around one-fifth is used for power generation.
Following Russia's war of aggression, the risks of using imported gas have become clear. For this reason, phasing out the climate-damaging combustion of gas is also necessary for reasons of energy supply independence. Against the backdrop of climate policy goals, it is necessary to reduce natural gas consumption in Germany and, in the longer term, to reduce it to near-zero levels. These consumption trends have far-reaching consequences for the development of natural gas networks. Not least for economic reasons, it is foreseeable that decommissioning processes for larger areas of the natural gas networks will have to be planned and regulated.
The Oeko-Institut is working on how this decarbonisation process can be shaped and how the ramp-up of alternative technologies can be successful.
