Overview

• In an interview with WirtschaftsWoche, Kretschmer said it is sufficient for Germany to aim for carbon neutrality by 2050 instead of the current 2045 target.
• He criticized Saxony’s rapid wind power build-out as misguided, noting hours with negative electricity prices have climbed from 400 two years ago to over 1,000.
• Kretschmer described the planned coal phase-out before 2038 as rushed and argued that rising power generation costs need to be addressed first.
• He warned that proposed federal cuts to the electricity tax would weaken fiscal capacity and provide only a temporary relief.
• Germany enshrined a 2045 neutrality goal in the Basic Law after a 3.4% emissions drop in 2024, but transport and building sectors continue to miss reduction targets.