Austria to go 100 percent nuclear-free (bans imports of nuclear power)

[kristopher]

6. What makes you think it will be replaced with imports?

Last edited Mon Jul 29, 2013, 03:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Austria: Quiet contender packs a punch
22/05/2013
By Kelvin Ross
Deputy Editor

Austria is putting in place policy, regulations and - crucially - financing, to drive growth in its renewable energy sector, writes Kelvin Ross.

A quick question for you: which European country offers the best investment opportunities for renewable energy? Picked an answer? I bet you went for Germany, maybe Denmark, Norway - or even the UK.
And you would have been wrong on all counts, because the answer, according to a recent report, is Austria. The landlocked country - the 114th biggest in the world, with a population of 8.27 million - came top in the Energy Investment Map, a report complied by UK firm PA Consulting Group.

...

Trends and changes
Analysts at London-headquartered Business Monitor International have recently published a report into Austria's renewables sector, in which they highlight the following key trends and regulatory changes:
- The government raised feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for all renewable energy in July 2011, and extended the duration for guaranteed payments.
- In September 2012, the government terminated the FiT for new building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) plants, with capacities over 500 kW. It introduced a digression mechanic for FiTs, and made a general reduction in the FiT for solar energy.
- The government has decided to halt imports of nuclear power by the end of 2014 and will need to seek other generation sources to fill the gap. The country currently imports just over 3 per cent of its electricity needs, and growth of 4.7 per cent per annum in electricity generation should be sufficient to fulfil its ambition.
- The country recently unveiled a new smart grid project that is aimed at increasing the share of photovoltaic solar power. The €5 million ($6.5 million) project, spanning three years, is expected to lead to the development of 120 photovoltaic systems....

http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-21/issue-5/features/austria-quiet-contender-packs-a-punch.html

Let's repeat the takeaway for the hard of hearing AtomicBaggins:
- The government has decided to halt imports of nuclear power by the end of 2014 and will need to seek other generation sources to fill the gap. The country currently imports just over 3 per cent of its electricity needs, and growth of 4.7 per cent per annum in electricity generation should be sufficient to fulfil its ambition.



See also: Austria's New Energy Future By Dr Reinhold Mitterlehner, Federal Minister for Economy and Energy, Austria; Autumn 2012
http://www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu/Articles/Autumn2012/AustriasNewEnergyFuture.aspx


and for information on how their power labeling system is designed:
http://www.e-control.at/en/businesses/renewables/electricity-labelling-regulations