CSU-County Council demands abandonment of natural gas project
In Reichling am Lech, a new gas birth is about to happen - near natural gas. The permit is there, the political backing from Bavarian Economy Minister Aiwanger is also. But there is resistance on site. The CSU district administrator of the Landkreis Landsberg am Lech, Thomas Eichinger, and the entire council of the affected community Reichling, are among those objecting.
In a few weeks, new natural gas drillings could begin at the Alps' edge - but resistance is growing. Besides environmental activists and residents, the Landrat of the Landkreis Landsberg am Lech, and the entire council of the community Reichling, are also objecting.
A fact is: In June, the Bergamt Südbayern granted the company Genexco Gas a probing permit. The concession area "Lech Ost" is over 100 square kilometers in size and extends to the Ammersee. It could start in September. However, the federal funding approval is still missing.
The drilling site, according to Greenpeace, is only about 150 meters away from a European protection area for endangered animals and plants and 200 meters from the drinking water protection area and within the catchment area of the community's drinking water source. It's unclear how much gas can be extracted here. According to Greenpeace, a 500 million cubic meter gas field is being speculated on, which is to be exploited for 15 years.
Bavaria supplied itself with a third of its gas needs in the 70s
Landrat Eichinger intends to send his concerns regarding the environment, traffic, health, and climate change as a protest letter to Economy Minister Hubert Aiwanger in Munich. The drilling is already approved, but the federal funding approval is still missing.
Reichling's mayor, Johannes Hintersberger, confirmed in response to an inquiry that "this letter has no legal influence on the approval procedure whatsoever, the town council hopes for a political turnaround in the search for fossil fuels in our community."
Since the 1950s, according to the ministry, almost 60 gas fields have been discovered in the Bavarian Alps - many deposits have long been depleted. In the 1970s, Bavaria covered about 30% of its gas needs from domestic reserves, while now it is only about 0.1%.
In the context of the energy transition and the abandonment of Russian gas imports, the significance of gas in energy supply has decreased, but it is still the most important fossil fuel in the Free State and covers nearly a fifth of the primary energy consumption. Natural gas is mainly used in Germany in industry and for heating. More than 90% of it is imported via gas pipelines.
Greens criticize Aiwanger as an energy policy "ghost driver"
The Munich Economic Ministry reportedly welcomes new gas drillings in Bavaria according to its own statements: We support the search for domestic natural gas in the face of high prices, the ministry stated at the end of September 2022. How much the gas exploration efforts of the Bavarian government in Munich are welcomed is also shown in the fact that the state government does not demand a funding levy from the companies, although this is possible according to the Federal Mining Act.
Aiwanger himself speaks of a climate-friendly bridge technology when it comes to natural gas, comparing it to the burning of oil or coal. However, this image is outdated in the eyes of experts: Natural gas heats the climate multiple times - through methane emissions during extraction, storage, and transport, as well as through CO2 emissions during combustion.
Aiwanger gives gas - but in the wrong direction. acting like a ghost driver, Ludwig Hartmann, Bavaria's green Landtagsvice-president, stated that instead of focusing his energy on the urgent expansion of wind power, he supports the extraction of new dirty natural gas sources. While wind power operators have to pay high fees to build installations in state forests, Genexco Gas in Reichling can essentially extract gas for free.
In response to the planned natural gas drillings in Reichling am Lech, Alliance 90/The Greens in Bavaria criticized Economy Minister Hubert Aiwanger as an "energy policy 'ghost driver'" due to his support for new gas sources during high prices and the lack of focus on renewable energy expansion.
Greenpeace, an international environmental organization, expressed concerns over the drilling site's proximity to protected areas, potentially impacting endangered animals and plants, as well as drinking water sources.
California State University researchers have highlighted that methane emissions from natural gas extraction, storage, and transport contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, making it less environmentally friendly than often claimed.
The Greenpeace report further emphasized that natural gas is not a climate-friendly bridge technology, as often suggested, but rather contributes to climate change through its methane emissions and CO2 emissions during combustion.
This controversy over new gas drillings in Bavaria is not isolated and reflects broader international debates about the role of natural gas in energy supply and its impact on climate change.
