German economy and energy minister Katherina Reiche (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) has said consumers should not expect significantly lower electricity prices until the 2030s, citing the long-term costs of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). In an interview with the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) news agency, Reiche said: “We will only see noticeable relief in the 2030s.” “We are ending the EEG as an all-round, worry-free package,” Reiche said in Berlin, adding that over-subsidisation would be abolished. The federal government currently spends €17 billion a year on EEG subsidies, a figure that continues to rise, Reiche said. The Federal Association of Renewable Energy (BEE) said the targets were in practice unreachable under the plans, while the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) warned of a halt to new construction.