New rules for new projects
Energy infrastructure: Habeck wants to do without Chinese technology in the future
03/24/2023, 8:19 p.m
Germany continues to distance itself from China. Economics Minister Habeck wants to do without Chinese-made components for critical energy infrastructure projects in the future. However, there should be exceptions.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck wants to do without components from China for critical energy infrastructure projects in the future. Habeck said new orders and new planning should do completely without Chinese technology. “The projects that are already under construction, where orders have been placed, should be checked. But I would be a little less strict there, otherwise we wouldn’t get anything done,” said Habeck.
However, he also emphasizes that a quick phase-out of Chinese technology requires special planning. “Of course, we always have to weigh up the transformers and the technologies that we are currently installing and where we don’t have anything of our own,” he says. “Of course I would be happy if no Chinese technology was installed in the critical area. Conversely, of course, we have a need to build.” You can’t wait for years either. In that sense there is a limit.
Only recently, when asked by the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” whether there would still be parts from the Chinese supplier Huawei in the German 5G network in five years, Habeck replied: “Not everything that is already installed will be easy can be expanded again. The network must continue to function. But we should do without it for the future.”