New coup by the Economics Minister: Reiche is the government's redispatch

A lesson from the political communication textbook is: If you don't want people to understand what it's about, come up with the most complicated technical term possible. Ultimately, in the political sphere, people only talk about what the electorate considers worthy of discussion. Katherina Reiche (CDU) is a master at this: she invented the term “redispatch”. The Federal Minister of Economics wrote this in her draft of the new network law.

That's smart, because before you can comment on this policy, you first have to explain it: Because the Federal Republic wants to produce 80 percent of its electricity from renewables in four years, wind turbines, solar systems and biomass power plants have priority when it comes to feeding in. Your electricity is always allowed into the network first; the network industry calls this processing “dispatch”. But because it is happening more and more often that sun, wind, etc. produce more electricity than the grid can absorb, power plants have to be switched off in some places - the grid operators order redispatch.

Operators of solar parks and wind turbines cannot do anything about this standstill. Because it is not they, but the owners of the networks who are to blame for not being able to deliver. Therefore, the operators receive compensation for the electricity that they were unable to supply. Under the keyword “Redispatch”, Katherina Reiche’s draft law envisages eliminating this compensation in whole or in part. The basis of every investment is the calculation of refinancing. If you don't know how often your wind turbine will be shut down without compensation, you won't invest more.

The taz is an independent, left-wing and opinionated daily newspaper. We have been arguing in our comments, essays and debate texts since the taz was founded in 1979. We often cannot and do not want to agree on an opinion. That's why you'll find some completely opposing positions here - all part of the very broad left-wing spectrum of opinions.

Friedrich Merz's Union set out to boost economic growth in Germany, and investments must be made to achieve this. But instead of putting in the effort and creating a fireworks display of investment in renewables, the “expert for the upswing” is slowing down. What is remarkable is that the term redispatch is not even Reiche's invention: it comes from Eon, the company where Reiche was a manager until she took office. No other energy company likes the plans; energy companies such as EnBW, Leag and RWE have called for changes in a joint appeal.

Reiche is Germany's most unpopular minister in the polls; even among Union supporters, 75 percent are “not satisfied” with her. So far there is not a single law from Reich's house that would be suitable for creating growth. The Minister of Economic Affairs is failing to create a spirit of optimism in the economy. She doesn't deliver, she is the redispatch in the cabinet.