Top 10 energy stories from the past week

1. Germany to ban fossil fuel boilers from 2024

The German government has approved a bill requiring new heating systems to use at least 65% renewable energy from 2024. In practice, only heat pumps, hybrid heat pumps with fossil fuel backup, district heating and biomass boilers meet this criterion.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Germany must start replacing heating systems in buildings and homes as soon as possible, as reported by Euractiv. He was responding to the fact that the country is far behind in clean heating, for example compared with France, Denmark and Finland.

2. Vogtle 4 nuclear unit nears completion as hot tests confirm reactor readiness

Completion of hot tests of the primary circuit confirms that the reactor is ready for fuel loading. This is a significant step towards the commercial start-up of the second AP1000 reactor at the Vogtle plant. The unit is expected to enter service at the end of this year or in early 2024.