Politics · Germany · 4 hrs ago
CSU criticises rules for Germany’s new gas power plants
CSU General Secretary Martin Huber has criticised Economy Minister Katherina Reiche over rules for selecting new gas power plants.
The dispute concerns the first tender for new power capacity in Germany.
Almost all awards went to RWE and Leag, including six Leag projects to convert existing lignite plants in Brandenburg and Saxony to gas.
New plant sites in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg received too little support, Huber says, and he argues the rules favoured conversions over building modern gas plants.
The planned plants are intended as backup when wind and solar produce little electricity, helping protect the power supply.
Huber is urging the federal government to correct the rules, and the plants are expected to make an important contribution to supply security by 2031.
CSU General Secretary Martin Huber criticised the rules for Germany’s first tender for new gas-fired power plants.
He said the rules disadvantaged Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and risked energy security in the two regions.
Most awards went to RWE and Leag, including six Leag projects to convert existing lignite plants in Brandenburg and Saxony to gas.
New plant sites in southern Germany received insufficient support in the first round, according to the article.
The plants are intended to provide backup power when wind and solar output is low, and to contribute significantly to supply security by 2031 at the latest.
- Who
- CSU General Secretary Martin Huber criticised the rules set by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche.
- What
- Huber said the tender rules disadvantaged Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in the allocation of new gas power plants.
- When
- The criticism was reported on 11 November 2026. The first tender round had already taken place.
- Where
- The dispute concerns Germany, particularly the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and projects in Brandenburg and Saxony.
- Why
- Huber said the rules gave greater consideration to converting old lignite plants than to building modern gas plants, leaving southern sites with too little support.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Most awards went to RWE and Leag, including six Leag projects to convert existing lignite plants in Brandenburg and Saxony to gas.
Bild reported Martin Huber’s criticism of the tender rules.
- Critic
- Martin Huber, CSU General Secretary
- Minister criticised
- Katherina Reiche, CDU
- First-round recipients
- RWE and Leag received almost all awards
- Leag projects
- Six conversions of existing lignite plants in Brandenburg and Saxony
- Power plants’ purpose
- Backup for periods when wind and solar produce little electricity
- Target date
- A significant contribution to supply security by 2031 at the latest
What people are saying
We will not allow the gas tap to be turned off for the south!
It is completely unacceptable that they received insufficient support in the first tender round, and it is a severe blow to both locations, with Baden-Württemberg hit even harder than Bavaria.
The cause is a complete misdirection of Katherina Reiche’s tender rules.
These mistakes must be urgently corrected by the federal government; Minister Reiche must deliver quickly.