A costly and abrupt retreat from nuclear in Germany

March 11 marked the first anniversary of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster. This has caused a particularly marked policy response in Germany, where the decision has been made to abandon nuclear energy by 2022 at an estimated cost of E1.7tn by 2030. The decision appears to be motivated by political considerations rather than factual assessment.

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Aggreko: success in Germany is a signal of things to come

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Aldi: discounter looks set to challenge major players with new European fuel retailing venture

Aldi has entered the fuel retailing market by opening three service stations in the Austrian town of Salzburg, offering heavily discounted fuel. With such a strong brand image and efficient business model, Aldi is likely to extend its petrol retailing presence across Austria and Europe, and may soon pose a challenge to the more established industry players.

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Alstom: slimming down to survive

Siemens has bought Alstom's industrial turbines business. At E1.1 billion, Alstom has secured a good price for the unit. The sale also means that its E3 billion disposal program is off to an encouraging start. Much work remains to be done, however, if the company is to survive its E5 billion debt burden.

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Alternative fuels: CNG is emerging as a serious contender

Sales of compressed natural gas (CNG) cars have increased significantly over the last two years in Germany, and indeed in Europe as a whole. As CNG vehicles can be refueled at home, they offer added practicality, and this, added to the growing backlash against biofuels, gives CNG the potential to become a significant player in the alternative fuels market over the next few years.

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Asset unbundling: utilities seek to prolong the status quo

Several German utilities have reportedly put forward proposals to merge their networks with those of foreign competitors as an alternative to divesting these operations. This shows that vertically integrated utilities are changing their recusant stance towards the European Commission's proposal of strict asset unbundling, in an effort to mitigate the proposals and preserve network ownership.

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Autogrill and Elior: driving into Germany

Italian retailer Autogrill and French-owned Elior have both announced new tenancy arrangements with the German motorway services provider Tank & Rast. Given that Tank & Rast holds 90% of all German motorway concessions, the partnership will strengthen Autogrill's and Elior's expansion potential in Europe's largest motorway services market.

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Aventis: non-core no more

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Belgium: national energy regulator may be given additional authority in order to protect consumers

The Belgian minister of energy has tried to give the Commission de Regulation de l'Electricite et du Gaz the authority to influence price. Suppliers would have to submit an application to change tariffs, which the regulator would either approve or refuse. Yet with comparable levels of GDP and energy tariffs to its European neighbors does Belgium's energy market really need such radical measures?

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Bewag: split ownership expected to be approved

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