German gas drive fuels fears of climate backsliding

Germany's conservative-led government has launched a drive to rapidly build more gas-fired power plants, fuelling fears about climate policy backsliding and sparking unease even within its own ranks.

- Sam Reeves, Agence France-Presse

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition has made reviving Europe's struggling top economy a priority and argues that reliable and affordable energy supplies are crucial for the country's manufacturing titans. But critics charge the bid to boost fossil fuel production is ideologically driven and highlights a shift away from green policies under the new government. Merz leads a coalition that includes his centre-right CDU party and junior partners the centre-left SPD — but without the Greens, who were in the last administration. The economy ministry, headed by Katherina Reiche of the CDU, is vocally backing a target of building new gas plants with about 20 gigawatts of power production capacity by 2030.