Prime Minister Markus Söder obviously wants to add a new chapter to his policy of empty promises. He wanted to build 10,000 state-owned apartments by 2025, quickly set up 100 wind turbines in the state forest – nothing came of it, and the 800 additional wind turbines that Söder now allegedly wants to build (four weeks ago there were 500) are little more than one another and also bad PR gag. Apparently, neither he nor the CSU faction understood that wind turbines have to be built where the wind blows – and not where you expect the least resistance.
Ten years ago, the state government was even further. At that time, she created a detailed set of maps with the “Area Scenery Wind Power” showing where in Bavaria the construction of plants is possible and where not. Instead of sticking to it, Söder’s predecessor Horst Seehofer issued the arbitrary 10-H rule, which is now provided with at least as arbitrary exceptions. The aim is to make it easier to build wind turbines in industrial areas and along motorways – an almost absurd project, but one that fits into the general lack of planning in Bavarian energy policy. In recent years, this essentially consisted of saying goodbye to nuclear power and other energy sources with the approval of the state government, but delaying or thwarting the expansion of necessary power lines and wind turbines.
At the same time, Söder and all CSU politicians, right down to local councillors, keep repeating the old story about the rise of the agricultural state of Bavaria to a high-tech state. But that was only possible because, in addition to cheap raw materials and energy, there was also the determination to modernize. Four years passed from the feasibility study to the inauguration of the transalpine oil pipeline from Trieste to Ingolstadt. A hydrogen pipeline across the Alps? “At some point,” says Söder.
The energy crisis has been on the horizon for a long time, but it has only dramatically worsened and accelerated due to the war in Ukraine. In the chemical triangle of Burghausen alone, tens of thousands of jobs will be at risk over the next few years if raw materials and energy become even more expensive. So far, Söder hasn’t come up with much, except that the Isar 2 nuclear power plant should remain connected to the grid for longer – a demand that you quickly knock out because it doesn’t cost anything and thus corresponds entirely to Söder’s political style. This is exclusively aimed at rapid success in day-to-day business. Conceptual work and the will to implement it would now be needed if Bavaria wants to maintain its prosperity.