Berlin Senate considers buying back the gas network

Following the water utilities and the electricity network, the state of Berlin is now also considering buying back the gas network.

Buyback of gas network "definitely an option"

"For us, buying back the gas network is definitely an option," Senator for Finance Daniel Wesener told the newspaper Welt. He added that the new state government is very aware of the importance of the gas network in a city like Berlin with a view to urban climate protection. "It can also play an important role in the future, for example as a storage medium for hydrogen," the Green Party politician said.

Decision by the end of November

By the end of November, he said, the state must decide whether to re-tender the existing gas concession contract. During the last concession award ten years ago, all parties involved had spent too much time in court, Wesener said, commenting on the failed attempt at that time to take the gas network away from the energy company Gasag in order to operate it under its own management. "Things should be different this time."

BER Terminal 2 to be operational by Easter

Wesener also announced an expansion of capacity at Berlin's BER Airport in the near future. "I am very confident that Terminal 2 will be up and running in time for Easter, " he said. The prerequisite is that there is a corresponding demand. Wesener assumes that the airport will be self-sustaining after the upcoming debt relief: "By 2026, the redevelopment can succeed to such an extent that the airport can stand on its own feet economically."