Climate and energy crises should really drive the expansion of renewable energy more than ever before. In fact, little is happening in Austria. At the federal level, important laws have been locked in for months and some states are blocking them. The umbrella organization for renewable energy (EEÖ) is now strongly criticizing and demanding more access rights for the federal government.
AUSTRIA. By 2030, Austria wants to produce 100% of its electricity from renewable sources such as water, wind and solar energy. The goal is also in the government’s program. “Fossil fuel independence is the need of the moment,” Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) said around April. In May, Energy and Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) spoke of a “national tour de force for the energy transition”. Since then, however, almost nothing has happened, she criticizes the umbrella organization for renewable energies (EEÖ).
Rapid expansion would be crucial to achieving the EU’s climate targets, on the one hand – if they are not met, there will be the threat of fines in the billions. The war in Ukraine and the associated power shortages are putting additional pressure on them. Anyway, everything is going very slowly for the EEÖ. It calls for federal states to be deprived of powers or give the federal government more access rights, the Ö1 morning newspaper reported on Thursday.
Criticism of the lack of legislative decisions
Important laws have been stalled for months, criticizes the EEÖ: “Since 24 February, not a single federal law has been passed to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies, although important legislative projects have been drafted for many months – sometimes even years”, says a role, which exists in various media. The federal states – with the exception of Burgenland – “have not introduced any laws or measures”.
At the federal level, two important projects are hovering in the air. First, there is the Climate Protection Act – it aims to establish a path by which climate-damaging emissions must be reduced. The situation is similar with the Energy Efficiency Law – it is intended to prescribe energy saving measures for companies.
Distribution of skills as the main problem
If Austria wants to reach its target by 2030, a new wind turbine must be installed every three days. At the same time, an area of about 100 km² would have to be equipped with photovoltaics and some new hydroelectric and biomass plants would have to be built. So a lot would have to happen. However, this is not the case, as Martina Prechtl-Grundnig, managing director of the umbrella organization for renewable energies, reported in the Ö1-Morgenjournal: We are in the midst of an energy crisis and yet unfortunately we have to say that in renewable energy moves nothing – in other words, moves very little.”
Prechtl-Grundnig sees the main reason for domestic inertia in the expansion of renewables in the distribution of powers between federal and state governments. In Austria, the federal government is responsible for energy and climate protection goals, but the competence for project implementation lies with the federal states. The fact is that some federal states contribute very little, according to the representative of the sector.
blocking states
From countries such as Upper Austria, Tyrol or Carinthia, one hears over and over again that wind energy is practically out of the question, explains the energy expert. According to Prechtl-Grundnig, there is basically only one federal state, Burgenland, in which the pace of expansion of wind and solar energy has increased since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Penalties and Penalties
The managing director of the association therefore asks for more powers and access rights for the federal government. In addition, there should be financial consequences if states slow expansion: “If federal states don’t meet the targets, then there should be a mechanism for them to pay financially,” says Prechtl-Grundnig.
After all, Austria is threatened with hefty fines if the EU’s climate targets are not met. Furthermore, it is not just about climate protection, but also about Austria becoming more independent from countries like Russia when it comes to energy, concluded the head of the renewable energy umbrella organization.
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