Survey: Almost half of industrial companies in Germany fear for the security of their power supply
More than two thirds of industrial companies in Germany rate the current security of their power supply as “good” to “very good”. At the same time, 43 percent expect the supply situation to deteriorate in the future. Amprion has presented a plan to ensure security of supply going forward.
In addition to concern about external attacks, fear is growing in German industry about a possible power shortage and delayed grid expansion. Many companies are therefore demanding not only better protection of the power infrastructure, but above all greater speed in building new power plants and expanding the grid. For example, 59 percent of respondents are in favor of accelerating grid expansion.
These are the findings of a representative survey of 500 decision-makers from German industrial companies with 1,000 or more employees, commissioned by the transmission system operator Amprion from the opinion research institute Civey.
Amprion’s action plan presents solutions
As a transmission system operator, Amprion is not only responsible for grid expansion, but also for ensuring the stability of the German and European interconnected grid. Based on this responsibility for security of supply, the company has developed a 12‑point plan that identifies key levers for a secure power system and makes concrete proposals for policymakers and industry.
“Our survey shows that for many companies, security of supply is no longer something they can take for granted,” says Amprion CEO Dr. Christoph Müller. Resilience is becoming increasingly important, Müller adds. “But security of supply consists of many elements that must interlock. With our 12‑point plan, we show which dials policymakers and industry must now turn so that the power supply remains reliable in the future and Germany is strengthened as a business location.”
Sufficient firm capacity as a foundation
A reliable supply is only possible if sufficient firm capacity and transmission capacity are available. The federal government’s power plant strategy is a crucial step—on the condition that the plants are built by the early 2030s and reliably supply electricity. “As an interim measure, potential supply gaps should therefore be covered by continuing to operate power plant reserves beyond 2031,” Müller demands.
Due to high demand, a permanent capacity market is needed in addition to the targeted twelve gigawatts. The transmission system operators support the swift implementation of the new electricity market design.
System supportiveness must be the focus
Furthermore, renewable energy plants should be fully integrated into the electricity market in the medium term. Plants must respond to price signals—“produce and forget” must become a thing of the past, says Müller. “In an emergency, the plants must be controllable by us as grid operators.”
Battery storage systems offer great potential for the electricity market but can exacerbate existing grid bottlenecks or cause new ones. The result would be high redispatch costs. It must therefore be ensured that storage systems behave in a way that is beneficial to the grid in the future. New rules are needed for this.
Other new large consumers, such as electrolysers, must also behave in a way that ensures system stability can continue to be guaranteed. The relevant requirements should be anchored in the technical connection rules. Drafts for these have already been submitted to the EU Commission and now need to be adopted promptly.
“Many of these measures have been under discussion for some time,” says Müller. “What matters now is that all stakeholders from politics, regulation, the market and grid operation act quickly and consistently to reliably maintain security of supply in Germany beyond 2030 as well.”
