CONSULTING

primary energy mix, more than lignite and about the same level as hard coal with 12.7 percent.
Biomass contributes with 57 percent by far the largest portion to the renewables share, followed
by wind with 19 percent and solar with about 10 percent. 771 increase of the renewable capacity
base that increased from 19.1 percent to 23.6 percent in 2015. 772 Vattenfall Germany results are
difficult to assess as they are incorporated into the Swedish government owned Group results.
Vattenfall is not listed. Overall, Vattenfall Group lost €2.1 billion in spite of increasing sales.
Renewables were again the largest contributor to the power mix and supplied 30.1 percent of
gross national electricity consumption—more than lignite with 23.8 percent, hard coal
18.1 percent, and natural gas 9.1 percent. While the contribution from all fossil fuel sources and
nuclear energy declined, renewables increased by 20.5 percent to 195.9 TWh.
On 6 June 2011, the Government passed far-reaching energy transition legislation that passed the
Bundestag on 31 July 2011 almost by consensus and came into force on 6 August 2011.
The seven-part new laws addressed many aspects of energy consumption and production. Key
elements included:
• Nuclear operating licenses will expire once the production credit is used up and at the latest
according to Table 17. This meant that the eight units that had been shut down after 3/11 lost
their operating license with the coming into force of the legislation.
• The production credit can be transferred from older to newer plants.
In addition to these decisions, the German Government decided on 12 June 2014 to rule out for
the future any loan guarantees for the export of nuclear facilities, new or existing.
On 27 June 2015, six months earlier than required by law, E.ON shut down the Grafenrheinfeld
reactor. Refueling turned out uneconomic for the remaining license period. 773
Germany also made notable progress in energy efficiency, and gross electricity consumption in
2014 was the lowest in 15 years. While the mild winter 2014-15 softened energy consumption in
all European countries, the temperature sensitivity in France, 774 for example, was 4.5 times higher
than in Germany. In 2014, Germany’s fossil-fueled power generation reached a 35-year low 775 ,
771 Ibidem.
772 EnBW, “EnBW remains on course despite difficult conditions - renewable energies experience large
boost in earning”, Press Release, 21 March 2016, see https://www.enbw.com/company/press/pressreleases/press-release-details_127552.html,
accessed 13 June 2016.
773 E.ON, “Sicher bis zum letzten Tag: Nach 33 Jahren erfolgreichem Betrieb stellt das Kernkraftwerk
Grafenrheinfeld die Stromproduktion ein”, 28 June 2015, (in German), see
http://www.eon.com/de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilungen/2015/6/28/sicher-bis-zum-letztentag-nach-33-jahren-erfolgreichem-betrieb-stellt-das-kernkraftwerk-grafenrheinfeld-die-stromproduktionein.html,
accessed 18 June 2016.
774 France has a high level of electric space heating in the housing sector, causing the highest temperature
sensitivity in Europe. When the thermometer drops 1°C in winter, the capacity need increases by 2.4 GW.
See RTE, “2014 Annual Electricity Report”, 29 January 2015.
775 Renewables International, “Plummeting demand, renewables slightly up and fossil power generation at
a 35 year low”, 22 December 2014, see http://www.renewablesinternational.net/plummeting-demandrenewables-slightly-up-and-fossil-power-generation-at-a-35-year-low/150/407/84355/,
accessed
18 June 2016.
Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt et al. 187 World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2016