Germany is one of the largest consumers of energy worldwide. Given the scarcity of raw materials and with consideration for the environment, since the 1970s the Federal Republic of Germany made massive efforts to save energy and put into effective use. This includes the use of renewable energy, which in the long term will cover one fifth of all energy requirements. With regard to the supply of energy and raw materials, Germany is heavily reliant on imports. Around two thirds of the necessary primary energy has to be imported, and it is heavily reliant on other countries for raw materials. Given this scenario, it has long sourced its energy and raw materials from a wide range of countries, thus ensuring a high degree of security with regard to supplies.

Domestic natural gas reserves cover approx. a quarter of the country's requirements. Reserves of lignite, potash and rock salt are sufficient for decades. As a result of the unfavorable geological conditions in Germany, however, hard coal deposits cannot be mined competitively.

Energy-saving measures such as better insulation and energy-saving devices are promoted by the state. As a result, since the beginning of the 1970’s specific energy consumption, i.e., the amount of energy required for the production of one unit of GDP, has been reduced continuously in West German states, and in the 1990’s it fell almost 16% for the whole country.

Source: www.bmwi.de