Germany needs new power plants to help reduce electricity costs, Economics Minister Michael Glos told Tuesday's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
"We urgently need new plants because if there is no extension of network and generation capacity, we run the risk that we will have to use old and inefficient plants for much longer than necessary to guarantee safe supply," he was quoted as saying. "This doesn't foster competition nor does it lead to lower electricity prices."
He added that the most simple and cheapest solution would be to extent the lifespan of carbon dioxide-free power plants.
He also said he favors a pan-European solution to unify power grid networks to boost competition.