Energy Ministers’ Conference Göttingen in northern German states called for faster expansion of the electricity grids on 11 November 2026. They are focusing on different priorities. Their demands share a concern that a lack of power lines and connections could slow the expansion of renewable energy. Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Lower Saxony’s energy minister
Christian Meyer of the Greens, who is chairing the conference in 2026, is calling, among other things, for legislation to speed up the expansion of onshore and offshore wind power, according to Norddeutscher Rundfunk. He also opposes cuts to solar subsidies. Alongside grid expansion, Meyer wants to strengthen the security of energy infrastructure against attacks. For the northern German states, electricity transmission is closely linked to the expansion of
wind power Wind farms on land and at sea generate electricity that must be carried through the grids to consumers and other regions. The debate is therefore not just about new power lines, but also their connection to regional distribution networks and the connections available to businesses and other users. Schleswig-Holstein’s energy minister, Tobias Goldschmidt of the Greens, is calling for binding plans for grid expansion and greater digitalisation. According to him, data centres, industrial businesses and other facilities, including storage parks, want to connect to the grid. These users need to know whether and when a connection will be possible.
Hamburg’s Senator for the Environment, Climate and Energy,
Katharina Fegebank of the Greens, intends to put forward a proposal to speed up expansion at the points where transmission and distribution networks meet. According to Norddeutscher Rundfunk, the procedures for allocating connections in Hamburg need to be adjusted while transmission system operator 50Hertz is lagging behind with expansion. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is focusing on distribution networks with its own proposal. According to the broadcaster, Economy Minister Wolfgang Blank is calling for simpler approvals, forward planning and better use of existing network capacity.
The talks in Göttingen are scheduled to run until 13 November. The Energy Ministers’ Conference serves to coordinate the states with one another and with the federal government; its conclusions may later feed into initiatives in the
Bundesrat The positions now put forward are initially demands or proposals from individual states, not measures that have already been approved. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche of the CDU is not attending in person, according to Norddeutscher Rundfunk. She is represented by a parliamentary state secretary, the broadcaster reports. Meyer regretted her absence: he said he would have liked to discuss the problems with expanding the grids and renewable energy directly with the minister. The federal government remains a key addressee for the states, as federal rules are crucial to the future development of energy supply.
enmk.de
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).