German Clean Power Surges Risk Grid Blackouts, Instability

Germany’s electricity grid was pushed to the limit of stability last year and blackout risks will remain as long as network infrastructure fails to keep up with surging clean power, according to operator Amprion GmbH.

Amprion’s grid, which transports about a third of German power, including along the industrial Rhine basin, was “utterly strained” over the winter, Technical Managing Director Klaus Kleinekorte said June 8 during a presentation in Berlin. Power demand from France and Belgium, low hydro storage levels in Austria and Switzerland and lower winter wind and solar output contributed to the instability, he said.

“These three black ...