Upheaval at Desertec?

Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung reports today that things behind the scenes are not as harmonious as Dii, the organization behind the Desertec project, makes them out to be.

Yesterday, we reported on the confusion surrounding the status of Desertec on the occasion of the Dii's new publications, which seem to indicate a slight shift from a focus on power exports to Europe towards serving domestic demand in northern Africa.

But this morning, Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung – which, like the Dii, is based in Munich – speaks of a "revolutionary mood" at Dii's headquarters and quotes insiders saying that the "future of the entire project" is at stake.

Apparently, Dii head Paul van Son is more interested in getting the project going than in sticking to the original plan of exporting power to Europe. In other words, he would like to see projects built even if they primarily serve domestic power demand in the countries of installation.

But other stakeholders, none of whom is mentioned by name, told the paper that they want to stick to the project's original goal of exporting green electricity to Europe. Indeed, the mood sounds more mutinous than "revolutionary"; there are reportedly charges that van Son is too closely tied to European energy giant RWE, which could be concerned about new competition in the form of green power from northern Africa.

In light of the lack of coordination between European stakeholders, the project would probably be more successful if it got started by surveying domestic demand in northern Africa and did not wait until European countries reach an agreement. Last year, a Spanish minister failed to show up for the signing of an agreement. (Craig Morris)