power outages
GDV: Germany not sufficiently prepared for blackout
It is feared that the stability of the power grid in Germany could suffer from the energy transition. Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Although the majority of German nuclear power plants have already been shut down, the German power grid has been stable so far. But that could change, insurance companies and civil protection agencies fear.
According to the insurance association GDV, there is a lack of provisions in Germany for longer power failures with potentially catastrophic consequences.
“Unfortunately, we are not adequately prepared in Germany for the consequences of a widespread power blackout,” said GDV General Manager Jörg Asmussen.
For an article published on the GDV website, the association interviewed several civil protection officers and crisis managers. Albrecht Broemme, the former president of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, considers hacker attacks to be the greatest danger. Terrorist attacks or extreme weather events could also jeopardize network stability throughout Europe at critical points. “There is no social group that is sensitive to the consequences of a blackout,” Broemme is quoted as saying by the GDV. “Germany is not at all prepared for a blackout.”
Blackout is a big risk
A blackout is currently “one of the greatest risks for our country,” the GDV also quotes Wolfram Geier, Head of Risk Management and International Affairs at the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK).
In the background are fears that the stability of the power grid in Germany and neighboring countries could suffer from the energy transition. The last nuclear power plants are to be shut down at the end of this year. So far there have not been any serious power outages in Germany, but the number of interventions by grid operators to stabilize the power grid is significantly higher than before the start of the energy transition.
The Basel Prognos Institute recently warned in the annual energy transition monitoring for the Bavarian Business Association (vbw) that security of supply could suffer over the next few years. Because electricity generation in Germany is less predictable with an increasing proportion of weather-dependent solar and wind energy, but at the same time electricity consumption is increasing. This applies in particular to southern Germany, where the demand for electricity is particularly high due to the large number of industrial companies.
“Some of the consequences of a power failure can be covered with insurance, but not all,” warned GDV CEO Asmussen. As with the corona pandemic, the damage from catastrophic blackouts would be too high for the insurance industry to absorb on its own, according to the GDV. “Insurable are primarily property damage such as spoiled
Goods or the consequences of flooding or fires, »said Asmussen. “With business interruption insurance, companies can mitigate losses financially.” There are also various special insurances, for example for refrigerated goods from pharmacies.