Chineme Okafor, This Day Live
Summary
Chineme Okafor, who just returned from a tour of Germany’s energy infrastructure, where he worked alongside 12 other international journalists, writes on the central role of municipalities and villages in the country’s power sector
One remarkable feature of the German energy sector that is hardly likely to be ignored by visitors to the country is the localisation of the electricity supply system. The decentralisation strategy, which forms the basis of the country’s energy policy, Die Energywende, has ensured stable electricity supply to the citizens since the inception of the policy in 2000. It focuses on bringing together people, villages, and municipalities to invest and own their power systems.
Moving through cities and villages, like Bad Kreuznach, Worrstadt, Groβ-Winternheim, Neuerkirch, Klosterkumbd, and Morsdorf in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, reveals how municipal autonomy in Germany, which is enshrined in Article 28 of the Basic Law of the country’s constitution, has helped the citizens manage their own affairs. The law guarantees local self-government and gives municipalities the right to regulate all local affairs under their responsibility, including electricity.
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