Overview
- KfW published a study by consultancy Prognos on Monday, October 12, 2026, that sets the investment need for 2025–2045 at about €6 trillion in total.
- The report frames the task three ways: roughly €290 billion a year in gross investments, about €145 billion a year in net additional spending beyond current plans, and roughly €65 billion a year if routine fossil-era spending is reclassified.
- Private households and companies would carry the bulk of the cost while the public sector would cover only about 12 percent of the total, raising questions about affordability and competitiveness for firms.
- Nearly half of the money is slated for transport, with energy taking about 25 percent, buildings about 22 percent, and industry roughly 8 percent, so choices in those sectors will shape costs and feasibility.
- The total rose from €5 trillion in a 2021 estimate to €6 trillion because of price increases and an investment backlog, and the study says investments can cut fossil import bills of about €81 billion a year while avoiding higher climate damage costs if political will mobilizes timely action.