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German CHP law misses parliamentary vote deadline |
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| GERMANY: November 30, 2001 | ||
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BERLIN - Germany failed to put a controversial new law designed to promote the use of combined heat and power generation to a parliamentary vote as scheduled yesterday, due to inconclusive eleventh hour government talks.
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Economics Minister Werner Mueller, Environment Minister Juergen Trittin and faction leaders from the ruling coalition Social Democrat and Green parties met with industry representatives yesterday in an attempt to resolve their differences on the draft law. The new law is due to come into force in January, while the next parliamentary session is on 10-14 December. But Economics Ministry spokeswoman Regina Wierig said it was unclear whether the law could be passed this year. CHP technology produces electricity and heat simultaneously and is thus seen as an efficient way to help the country meet its ambitious environmental targets. The government aims for a 23 million tonne cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 through incrased use of CHP. The law would allow CHP producers to put a surcharge on the price of electricity they feed into the public grid, benefiting municipal utilities, but industrial CHP producers who use the energy on site have argued they will receive no incentive to invest in such technology. The exisiting draft law earmarks total funding of 8.7 billion marks and would last until 2010. German utility E.ON Chief Executive Officer Dieter Harig said on Wednesday that his firm would not feel committed to the law if it is changed from what was agreed between government and industry in the summer.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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