Germany’s Potential Energy Shortage: What a Recent Study Reveals

Berlin, March 4 – The German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, citing a study by the consulting firm McKinsey, said that Germany could face an electricity shortage by 2025.

“Electricity consumption is growing, but reliable power plants are gradually shutting down. Therefore, Germany will not soon be able to cover peak loads on its own,” the publication notes, citing one of the studies.

According to the consulting firm McKinsey, Germany will soon be unable to meet its electricity demand from its own resources during peak periods.

“According to these calculations, already in 2025 there is a risk of a supply deficit (in electricity) of 4 gigawatts, which will increase to 30 gigawatts by 2030,” says the report. He explains that a capacity of 30 gigawatts corresponds to about 30 large thermal power stations.

The company estimates that there will be just under 100 blackouts in 2030, with the longest phase likely to last around 21 hours.

Earlier, the German Federal Grid Agency released a report on the security of the country’s electricity supply, which was approved by the Cabinet at the end of January. The report says electricity supplies will remain reliable despite the phase-out of nuclear power and coal.

It was originally planned that Germany would give up nuclear power in 2022. At the beginning of last year, three of the country’s last six nuclear power plants had already been shut down. In November, the Bundestag approved continued operation of Germany’s three nuclear power plants Isar-2, Neckarwestheim-2 and Emsland until April 15, 2023.