The thermal power station in Lichterfelde. Vattenfall is considering selling its district heating business. The SPD wants Berlin to take over the majority of the heat supply. A comment from BZ editor Hildburg Bruns Photo: picture alliance/dpa
From Hildburg Bruns
No more sales, only buybacks. That has been the mantra of the governing SPD in Berlin for years.
So now the heat supply is also to be returned to state care. Say Gasag and Vattenfall at least the district heating.
Will the Berliners warm their hearts?
The water companies are seen as a shining example of successful remunicipalisation. The prices have been lowered several times, but a lot has been invested.
Not a sure-fire success: Berlin also took over the power grid a year ago. Two days ago, the more expensive announcement came about monthly 3.75 euros per household.
The next project: the heating sector. This includes ten power plants, which are mainly fueled by gas and hard coal. Vattenfall wants to get out of this fossil energy, in its home country of Sweden relies on hydro and nuclear power.
Berlin would initially have the CO2 ejectors on its cheek. And with it, at the end of the decade, the risk of converting power plants to electricity from green hydrogen and other eco-sources.