BERLIN/FRANKFURT, March 16 (Reuters) – Support for Germany’s
anti-nuclear Greens has grown before crucial state elections,
while Chancellor Angela Merkel faced criticism from the right on
Wednesday for shutting down seven reactors after Japan’s crisis.

Merkel finds herself in a squeeze, with the opposition
demanding a new law to close the seven power stations for good
and the pro-business right insisting she reopen them as soon as
a three-month moratorium expires, if they pass safety tests.

FRANKFURT/LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – German utilities are at
risk of reduced revenues and charging consumers higher energy
bills because of subsidies and red tape.

Below are the main risks facing Europe’s biggest power
market.

* Price wars amid a gas glut

German gas prices are linked to the oil market through
long-term contracts between buyers and suppliers.

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) – Spreading unrest in Libya shut down 6 percent of oil output in Africa’s No.3 producer and prompted a number of energy firms to pull out international staff, sending oil prices above $105 a barrel.

Wintershall, the oil and gas exploration arm of BASF said on Monday it was winding down Libyan oil production of as much as 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). Other companies, including Royal Dutch Shell, ENI and OMV said they were withdrawing expatriate staff.

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) – Spreading unrest in Libya shut down 6 percent of oil output in Africa’s No.3 producer and prompted a host of energy firms to pull out international staff, sending oil prices to above $105 a barrel.

Wintershall, the oil and gas exploration arm of BASF BASF.DE said on Monday it was winding down Libyan oil production of as much as 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). A host of companies, including Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research), ENI (ENI.MI: Quote, Profile, Research) and OMV (OMVV.VI: Quote, Profile, Research) said they were withdrawing expatriate staff.

FRANKFURT/LONDON Feb 21 (Reuters) – Spreading unrest in
Libya shut down 6 percent of oil output in Africa’s No.3
producer and prompted a host of energy firms to pull out
international staff, sending oil prices to above $105 a barrel.

Wintershall, the oil and gas exploration arm of BASF
BASF.DE said on Monday it was winding down Libyan oil
production of as much as 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). A host
of companies, including Royal Dutch Shell [RDSa.L], ENI [ENI.MI]
and OMV (OMVV.VI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said they were withdrawing expatriate staff.

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) – Spreading unrest in Libya shut down 6 percent of oil output in Africa’s No.3 producer and prompted a host of energy firms to pull out international staff, sending oil prices to above $105 a barrel.

Wintershall, the oil and gas exploration arm of BASF BASF.DE said on Monday it was winding down Libyan oil production of as much as 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). A host of companies, including Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), ENI (ENI.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and OMV (OMVV.VI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said they were withdrawing expatriate staff.

ESSEN, Germany (Reuters) – Denmark’s Dong is to take a decision on a German offshore wind project in the spring of 2011, its Chief Executive Anders Eldrup said on Wednesday.

The state-controlled oil and gas group, which is the world leader in wind energy, is studying whether to go ahead and build a 380 megawatts (MW) project in Germany’s North Sea, called Borkum Riffgrund 1, Eldrup said in an interview.

FRANKFURT, Dec 14 (Reuters) – European energy exchange EEX
on Tuesday said its revenue streams from power futures, gas and
carbon trading were up year-on-year in 2010 as the bourse reaped
benefits from market share growth and clearing activities.

Finance chief Iris Weidinger told reporters at a briefing in
Frankfurt that revenue from the flagship contract electricity
futures, would rise 12 percent from the 23.6 million euro
($31.66 million) result last year, while gas revenue would
nearly triple and that of carbon dioxide double this year.

ESSEN, Germany, Dec 7 (Reuters) – German gas market leader
E.ON Ruhrgas on Tuesday said sales to customers would grow
faster than the overall market in 2010 but stressed it needed
better price concessions from origin countries to ensure future
profitability.

In November, its parent company, the E.ON group (EONGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz),
said Ruhrgas would make a loss in the fourth quarter, when gas
accounting years start under long-term contracts with producers
such as Russia and Norway, which are under constant review.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany is running far behind in a program to install power lines to help transmit renewable energy as red tape and protests drag progress to a snail’s pace.

Energy think-tank Dena last week tabled figures suggesting that the planned renewables boom can only happen if 3,600 km of new high voltage lines, or an addition of 10 percent to the existing lines, are built by 2020.