IN DEPTH: Germany split over plan for levy on worst-polluting fossils

Proposals by energy minister Sigmar Gabriel to introduce a levy on heavy-polluting fossil power plants are increasingly dividing German society, with municipal utilities explicitly backing the plan, while large utilities and unions gear up for mass protests and political parties are split over the issue.

"Those who are rejecting proposals for a climate levy today without presenting alternative solutions also reject the goals of the Energiewende [energy transition]," more than 80 municipal utilities said in a letter to Gabriel, among them the relatively large Stadtwerke München (SWM) and the Trianel network of German, Austrian and Swiss municipal utilities.

Both have major investments in a wide array of renewable plants, among them the 200MW Trianel Borkum and 288MW DanTysk offshore wind parks.

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IN DEPTH: Germany split over plan for levy on worst-polluting fossils