Lindner: FDP not alone with concerns about the heating law

Updated: 05/26/2023, 08:51

Berlin. In the dispute over the heating law, FDP leader Christian Lindner referred to critical voices in the ranks of the coalition partners SPD and Greens. “We are not alone with the concerns,” said the Federal Minister of Finance to the media company Table.Media.

He referred to statements by Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) and the head of the SPD parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich. Linder said that climate protection must be combined with economic reason and physical feasibility.

The FDP has been blocking a draft law passed by the cabinet for weeks. For climate protection, every newly installed heating system should be operated with at least 65 percent green energy from next year.

Lindner sees no danger to the continued existence of the coalition

Lindner contradicted the claim that the FDP harmed the country. “If
the FDP left politics and economically unreasonable
If solutions are prevented, then that will strengthen our country.” According to his own statements, he does not see any danger for the continued existence of the coalition with the SPD and the Greens.

Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Kretschmann recently suggested giving more time for the changeover in the heating sector. The votes from the municipal economy see something similar. The federal government’s plans to expand district heating, for example, are not practical for the municipal utilities, said the head of the Association of Municipal Companies (VKU), Ingbert Liebing, on “Deutschlandfunk”.

According to the draft law, the municipal utilities would have to prove 50 percent renewable heat in their networks in 2030. “These are capital-intensive, expensive projects that also take time. And there are not such short deadlines, ”said Liebing.

Municipalities should submit plans for heat transition

The VKU boss justified this with the heat transition plans for municipalities. According to the will of the federal government, the federal states should submit plans in the coming years on how the heat transition should be implemented locally. For large cities, these heat plans should be ready by the end of 2026, smaller cities should have two years longer.

“If such a city with a population of 50,000 or 80,000 makes the decision in 2027 as to what should happen where and how the heat can be switched from gas to district heating (…), then it won’t be possible within three years,” warned Liebing. He campaigned for the drafts of the heating law and the heating plans to be discussed in parliament at the same time.