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German Opposition Leader Pledges 50 Gas-Fired Power Plants if Elected Amid Growing Energy Crisis

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the Bundestag and called early elections for February 23, 2025, after the federal parliament voted to revoke confidence in Olaf Scholz's government on December 16.

Opposition CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz has vowed to build 50 gas-fired power plants if his conservative bloc wins the February 23 snap election, the news outlet T-Online reported.

"We need to build 50 gas-fired power plants in Germany as quickly as possible, which will be connected to the grid immediately," Merz said.

He lambasted Olaf Scholz's government for its "serious strategic mistake" when it decided to "shut down the last three nuclear power plants that guaranteed reliable power generation in the middle of the energy crisis."

Germany faced energy shortages caused by output 25% below prior year levels of wind power last October and November. Gas-fired electricity production in Germany surged by a record 79% in November.

Merz has been tipped to succeed Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose coalition collapsed in November.

In 2022, Berlin followed the Biden administration’s instructions to cut Germany off from Russian gas and ramp up arms deliveries to Ukraine for NATO's proxy war against Russia. Since then, Germany has faced deindustrialization, surging inflation, and a cost of living crisis.

Ahead of the elections, Germany faces grim economic data:

The country’s economy has fallen for the second year in a row, with the Federal Statistical Office reporting a 0.2% contraction in GDP in 2024.

Published early fourth-quarter data showed that the economy had also reduced by 0.1% compared to the previous three months.

Germany has been mired in a cost of living crisis and scrambled to offset skyrocketing energy prices brought on by its short-sighted move to relinquish cheap Russian gas.