Germany: Energy and Natural Resources

On 29 July 2026, the German Federal Cabinet approved the draft Grid Package (Netzpaket) — formally the Entwurf eines Gesetzes zur Änderung des Energiewirtschaftsrechts...

On 10 July 2026, the German Parliament adopted the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act (Strom-Versorgungssicherheits- und Kapazitätsgesetz) (“StromVKG”). Publication in the Federal Law Gazette and approval by the European Commission under EU State aid rules remain outstanding.

The European Patent Office refused to grant a patent for a method of developing rod patterns in nuclear reactors based on simulation, ruling that the claimed features do not produce a technical effect. This decision examines whether simulation results for reactor design constitute technical contributions when the rod patterns are not directly implemented in actual reactors and may have non-technical uses such as study purposes.

On 29 July 2026, the German Federal Cabinet approved the draft Grid Package (Netzpaket) — formally the Entwurf eines Gesetzes zur Änderung des Energiewirtschaftsrechts...

On 10 July 2026, the German Parliament adopted the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act (Strom-Versorgungssicherheits- und Kapazitätsgesetz) (“StromVKG”). Publication in the Federal Law Gazette and approval by the European Commission under EU State aid rules remain outstanding.

The European Patent Office refused to grant a patent for a method of developing rod patterns in nuclear reactors based on simulation, ruling that the claimed features do not produce a technical effect. This decision examines whether simulation results for reactor design constitute technical contributions when the rod patterns are not directly implemented in actual reactors and may have non-technical uses such as study purposes.

On 29 July 2026, the German Federal Cabinet approved the draft Grid Package (Netzpaket) — formally the Entwurf eines Gesetzes zur Änderung des Energiewirtschaftsrechts...

On 10 July 2026, the German Parliament adopted the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act (Strom-Versorgungssicherheits- und Kapazitätsgesetz) (“StromVKG”). Publication in the Federal Law Gazette and approval by the European Commission under EU State aid rules remain outstanding.

Following the release of an initial unofficial draft version of the reform of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act 2027 (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, EEG) in February 2026...