CSU on climate and energy

The CSU wants to double electricity from renewable sources in Bavaria by 2030, triple solar power and build 1,000 new wind turbines. Hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal energy, storage and grids would also be expanded. The goal is a power mix that provides baseload, is affordable and is climate-neutral.

The CSU wants much more power from sun, wind and water. By 2030 there should be twice as much. Bavaria should get 1,000 new wind turbines. Power storage and power lines should grow too. This should keep power safe and affordable.

Solar power is to be fully used on state buildings by 2025 and made easier on open land such as moors or along transport routes. For wind power, the CSU would found a state-owned company called “Bayernwind.” Hydropower is to reach 25 percent of gross electricity generation, bioenergy is to grow 15 percent by 2028, and geothermal energy is to supply about a quarter of building heat by 2050. On the electricity market, the platform calls for a capacity market and rejects separate price zones. Municipalities would get help building storage, pumped-storage plants would be enabled, and grid expansion sped up with more staff. The state wants to take over Uniper's hydropower plants and a stake in grid operator TenneT if the federal government sells or acquires them, respectively.

The CSU wants to make Bavaria the leading hydrogen location and invest 700 million euros to that end. Existing gas networks would be kept and later used for hydrogen. To secure the power supply, it also relies on gas-fired plants and a strategic gas reserve.

The CSU wants Bavaria to use a lot of hydrogen. Hydrogen is a gas that provides energy. A new pipeline should bring it from the Adriatic Sea to Bavaria. Bavaria's gas pipes should stay. Later, hydrogen should flow through them.

The CSU wants to build a southern pipeline from the Adriatic through Austria rather than wait for a connection from the north. The “HyPipe Bavaria” network is to link industrial centers by 2030. Plans include 50 electrolyzers of five megawatts each, subsidies for large industrial projects and funding for hydrogen filling stations. The CSU wants to prevent a dismantling of gas networks in Bavaria, which the platform attributes to the federal government. For gas-fired power plants it demands better conditions, along with a gas reserve with state participation and storage facilities completely filled before each winter.

The CSU wants to keep Bavaria's nuclear power plants running as a bridge technology, if necessary under state authority. It justifies this with the need for affordable, reliable and CO2-free electricity. Bavaria is also to become a leader in nuclear technology and nuclear fusion.

The CSU wants to keep using the nuclear plants in Bavaria. If needed, Bavaria should be in charge itself. The CSU says nuclear power is reliable and has no CO2. Bavaria should also do research on new nuclear technology.

According to the platform, nuclear energy provides the baseload that keeps the grid stable even on windless nights. The CSU plans an energy research campus and aims to build its own research reactor. Carbon storage is to be researched and put into practice. On energy efficiency, the plan includes greater use of industrial waste heat, help for municipalities with heating demand plans and a call for special tax depreciation for climate investments.

The CSU wants Bavaria to become climate neutral by 2040 and rejects an earlier target year such as 2035. Climate protection is to succeed through openness to all technologies and investment rather than bans. Protesters who break the law when gluing themselves to roads are to be punished consistently.

Bavaria should be climate neutral by 2040. The goal should not come earlier. The CSU wants climate protection without bans. People who glue themselves to roads and break laws should be punished hard.

According to the platform, the state spends one billion euros a year on climate protection, adding up to 22 billion euros by 2040. The money goes to renewable energy, power supply, natural CO2 storage, climate-friendly building, mobility and climate research, among other things. In the CSU's view, bringing climate neutrality forward would overburden society and harm social fairness. The party condemns violent actions for demands it regards as excessive.

The CSU rejects the federal government's heating and renovation plans, arguing they would make housing and home ownership unaffordable for average earners. It favors subsidies and incentives over bans and wants to keep all heating types available.

The federal government plans new rules for heating systems. The CSU is against them. It says the rules make housing too costly. The CSU would rather help with money. Heating with wood and pellets should stay allowed.

According to the platform, modern heating should be shaped together with municipalities, local utilities and citizens. The CSU promises planning certainty for new construction and modernization. The heating system should fit the type of house. Wood, wood chips, pellets and biomethane are to remain permitted as fuels.