An economically and ecologically balanced and secure energy supply is of eminent importance for every economy. In pursuing this objective as well as to achieve international targets, e.g. climate protection, and because of the decision to phase out nuclear power, the federal government gives greater priority to a larger share of the renewable energies in the various energy resources and to a rational use of all energy bearers.

A major focus of BAFA's activities is to implement the programme to promote renewable energies of the Federal Environmental Ministry.

It is BAFA's task to give grants and, thereby, to promote the increasing use of renewable energies in order to conserve the limited resources of fossil fuel and to make a contribution to environmental and climate protection. Assistance is provided for solar units, photovoltaic units in schools and biomass units.

Under the programme "Local consultations to save energy" BAFA gives grants for consultations with home owners by qualified engineers. The reduction of heat consumption in buildings as a result of these local consultations has diminished environmental pollution, mainly CO2-emissions.

BAFA promotes projects of the newly founded Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH (DEnA) (German Energy Agency) by granting federal subsidies. DEnA task is to obtain lasting improvements in saving energy and a more efficient use of energy in private households, companies and public administration as well as the utilization of regenerative energy resources.

BAFA also grants subsidies for German hard coal mining to facilitate the closure of uncompetitive coal mines. Thereby the sale of German hard coal to power stations and steel industry is promoted and exceptional costs that occur due to closure of coal mines are covered. In addition, the granted state aid contributes to the restructuring process in the mining area; a particular aim is to shape the closure process socially bearable for elder workers.

The federal grants will be continuously reduced from € 1.699 billion in 2009 to € 0.794 billion in 2018, whereas these are maximum annual payments. BAFA calculates the actual height of granted subsidies per year. Therefore the main task is to audit the production costs and revenues of the subsidized undertaking and to collect monthly prices of imported steam, coking and PCI-coal (free delivery to the German border).

BAFA is also in charge of granting Anpassungsgeld (adaption payment): elder workers who loose their job due to closure, partial closure or rationalization measures approved by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology receive Anpassungsgeld at the longest of five years until they reach the retirement age to get pension.

Statistics:

• Bituminous coal imports
• Natural gas imports
• Natural gas data
• Official oil data for the Federal Republic of Germany
• Natural gas data

As a reaction on the oil crisis in 1973/74 the Western industrial nations adopted the International Energy Programme, thereby creating a system to efficiently counter a shortfall of the oil supply in the future. Agreements on i. a. stock-holding, co-ordinated restrictions on consumption and redistribution of oil in times of crisis were concluded. The International Energy Agency (IEA) was founded as a coordinating office for the international oil crisis mechanism. In co-operation with the oil industry and BMWi, BAFA is responsible for the implementation of different measures to manage the consequences of a disruption of supplies in the Federal Republic of Germany. BAFA permanently informs the IEA about the supply situation and current trends in the oil market of the Federal Republic. For this purpose, data are collected monthly from the German oil companies. The results of these statistics are published in the Official Mineral Oil Statistics. They serve as the basis for the observation and analysis of the development of the oil market as well as for political decisions on energy and environment.

By a programme covering several years, BAFA promotes e.g. the processing of waste oil to basic oil. This is to support technical innovation in the processing industry for strengthening competitiveness. The basis is the EU-required preference of material to energetic recycling of waste oil.

In case of natural gas, BAFA is in charge for the licensing of import treaties with a period of delivery of 24 months as well as the collation and publication of different statistics (incl. border crossing prices).

Every year BAFA requires reports from the German oil industry for the International Fund to Compensate for Oil Pollution. The reports are the basis for fixing the contribution of the German oil industry to the fund. Under certain conditions the fund compensates for damage caused by oil tanker accidents.