Germany is preparing a draft law to enable local utilities to phase out gas grids as they plan for a climate neutral future. Utilities have voiced concerns that a lack of rules governing the phase-out remains a major obstacle in the decision-making process to decommission grids or convert them to green gas. According to the draft, utilities would have to inform affected users well in advance and provide information on alternatives and subsidies.

Germany’s railway operator is planning to use steel produced in a climate-friendly way for its infrastructure modernisation. As part of a pilot project, Deutsche Bahn (DB) signed a supply contract with Saarstahl Rail for around 22 kilometres of rail tracks made from green steel, the operator said.

Large-scale batteries already take and provide electricity in a way that helps stabilise Germany’s grids without causing additional costs, but their contribution could be much higher, according to a report by consultancy Neon. 

The majority of workers in Germany feel that climate change has had an effect on their workplace, a survey by health insurer TK has found. Sixty percent of surveyed people said that climate change had impacted the job and health of employees in their company in recent years, with outdoor workers feeling most affected.

The agreement between the United States and European Union on tariffs serves only as a burden to companies due to its lack of clarity, according to a poll of German businesses calling for tougher action from Brussels.

A deadly train accident in southern Germany has raised questions of how prepared the country’s transport infrastructure is to withstand extreme weather events fuelled by climate change. Authorities in the state of Baden-Württemberg said the accident near the city of Ulm was likely caused by a landslide, after heavy rainfall in the hilly region damaged the tracks, newspaper Tagesspiegel reported. 

German households are saving money on electricity and gas bills by increasingly changing suppliers or securing better contracts, the country's network agency BNetzA said. "In 2024 alone, German households were able to save around 2.2 billion euros in energy costs by switching contracts and suppliers," said BNetzA head Klaus Müller.

Germany is not sufficiently prepared to protect its citizens in the event of widespread power outages or large-scale natural disasters, Kay Ruge, head of the German Districts Association (DLT), told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ). "There is no comprehensive, overarching plan," he said, adding that "civil protection has played no role in political prioritisation in recent years."