AFP: Germany must 'spread cost of energy shift fairly'

Germany must shield its consumers from paying too much of the cost of its ambitious switch from nuclear power and fossil fuels towards renewable energy, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.

The IEA also said that Germany, with Europe's biggest economy, should make greater use of natural gas to smoothe the transition and reduce the use of coal so it can meet its carbon reduction targets to combat climate change.

Given the scale of the "Energiewende" or energy shift, the size of the German economy and its location at the heart of Europe, the agency said in a regular review that further steps are needed "to maintain a balance between sustainability, affordability and competitiveness".  MORE

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