The dispute over natural gas from Bavaria – Bavaria

Around 400 million cubic meters of natural gas are to be stored underground near Reichling near Landsberg am Lech. The Genexco company wants to find out exactly how much through a test drilling. The South Mining Authority has just granted approval for this. However, locally, in the entire region between Reichling, Landsberg and Lake Ammersee, there is resistance to the plans of the energy company, which is backed by a Canadian corporation: the residents do not want to have a drilling rig on their doorstep, they see their drinking water and nature at risk – especially since the company could open additional drilling sites. Environmentalists complain that new sources of fossil fuels are to be developed, while supporters such as Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) see the project as an opportunity to make the domestic economy more independent of gas imports from abroad. So should gas be promoted in Bavaria or not?

Pro: Better Bavarian gas than imported gas

A comment from Sebastian Beck

The village of Reichling seems to be developing into a new protest destination for climate and environmental activists. It seems almost strange the disproportion between the extent of the excitement and the reason for it. Neither a nuclear power plant nor toxic waste is being dumped there, but rather a mini gas deposit is being drilled for. So what? Until a few years ago, oil and gas production facilities were still part of the landscape in Upper Bavaria, but most of the sources have now been exploited – apparently without any major damage to nature and the groundwater.

The borehole in Reichling is of course more symbolic because the activists are concerned with the fight against fossil fuels. This ignores the fact that gas also plays an important role in the energy transition. It wasn’t until the summer of 2023 that a 300-megawatt power plant went into operation in Leipheim, which is intended to compensate for grid fluctuations in renewable energy sources. The power plant in Leipheim is operated with fossil gas because hydrogen will not be available in sufficient quantities for years, if at all. Natural gas remains indispensable for the time being, both for heating and for countless industrial applications.

One of the ironies of the energy transition is that Germany has been heavily dependent on liquefied gas imports since the outbreak of the Ukrainian war and the loss of pipeline supplies from Russia. A year ago, a US study came to the conclusion that liquefied natural gas (LNG) is up to 274 percent more harmful to the climate than burning hard coal. Production, transport, liquefaction, methane leaks – all of this spoils the balance sheet of liquid gas. Nevertheless, an LNG boom and falling prices are expected in the coming years. By 2028, global gas liquefaction capacity could rise to 800 million tons per year.

Given such dimensions, the theater surrounding Reichling’s borehole seems almost cute and provincial. The few gas fields in Upper Bavaria play no role internationally, but they could make a contribution to the comparatively environmentally friendly energy supply for a few years until hydrogen actually flows through pipelines – wherever from.

It is now the case that there is resistance to all forms of energy production in our own country: nuclear power, wind power, solar systems, oil and gas drilling, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power plants, wood heating – all the devil’s work wherever you look.

You can be happy that the electricity still comes from the socket.

Cons: We need to phase out fossil fuels

A comment from Florian Fuchs

In order to ensure gas supplies for the coming winter, the storage facilities in Germany had to be at a full level of 85 percent by October 1st. In fact, this goal was already achieved in July. Based on the experiences of the past few years, we may have to explicitly remind ourselves of this again, but there is no longer a gas emergency in Germany. There is more than enough gas available, the dependence on Russia has been overcome, and gas prices have fallen massively. We don’t need gas from Bavaria.

The people in Reichling don’t want to have a drilling rig on their doorstep, that’s understandable. That alone, one can hardly contradict the proponents of the project, is no reason to prohibit Genexco from funding. The risk of contaminated drinking water is extremely low, the company has drawn up valid protection and emergency plans, which the responsible South Mining Authority has finally approved. You can have so much trust in the local authorities that nothing goes wrong here – otherwise there would be no approval.

Much more important is the question of whether it is necessary to produce gas in Reichling or elsewhere in Bavaria. The answer is clear – just look at the gas storage levels. It is not necessary because Germany has concluded long-term contracts for imports from abroad in the face of the crisis. It is even very unnecessary because it would be a fatal signal to build new drilling sites now if the intended goal is climate neutrality in 2040.

Of course, domestic gas production is more climate-friendly than importing fracking gas from the USA. Germany currently imports most of its gas from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. Above all, however, according to critics, Reichling could only produce as much gas per year as Bavaria uses in a day. This does not reduce import dependency, not even that of the USA, but it is not enough. The domestic gas would only come on top of the gas that, as mentioned, Germany imports anyway thanks to long-term contracts and can import for as long as necessary until the energy transition. It would be wiser to invest money in the expansion of renewable energies in order to reduce the dependence on imports of particularly climate-damaging gas from abroad.

Bavaria needs gas as a bridging technology, Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) is right. But where should the end of the bridge be if we start producing gas again? In the Bavarian Radio Aiwanger complained that ten wind turbines were higher and more eye-catching than a drilling rig. With this attitude he exposes himself. Especially since he is laying out the red carpet for Genexco: the Free State is the only federal state that does not levy a production levy on gas, and the energy company is allowed to exploit Bavarian natural gas at no cost. Maybe that’s the only reason the drilling is profitable for the company in the end?

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