German minister in favor of slashing solar tariffs

An aerial view shows the Lieberose solar farm, which become the world’s second biggest solar power plant and Germany’s biggest, with an area of 162 hectares (equivalent to more than 210 football fields) in Turnow-Preilack, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Berlin, in this May 25, 2009 file photo.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Slashing feed-in tariffs for the solar industry by 16-17 percent is feasible, German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the sector which is still hoping for smaller cuts.

"Regarding the photovoltaic (industry), cuts of 16-17 percent can be made. This is my opinion, this is not yet the position of the government," Bruederle said.

Shares in German solar companies extended losses on the news, with Q-Cells, SolarWorld, Conergy, SMA Solar and Phoenix Solar down 1.2-3.8 percent by 1024 GMT.

The OekoDAX, a composite of Germany's biggest renewable companies, fell 2.5 percent.

"It looks as if there really will be a cut in tariffs and investors are nervous," said a Frankfurt-based trader.

Bruederle's comments came less than a week after Reuters cited sources as saying that such cuts were envisaged for April, sending solar stocks around the globe lower on fears that demand in Germany -- the world's biggest solar market -- would fall.

Markets have been awaiting plans by the German government to cut the industry's feed-in tariffs -- prices utilities pay generators of renewable energy -- which are now considered as being too high, but so far hoped for cuts of about 5-10 percent.

A double-digit reduction in solar feed-in tariffs in the middle of 2010 would ruin many German firms and end Germany's worldwide leadership in solar technology, Germany's BSW solar industry association said on Friday.

Investors' appetite for shares in the once fast growing solar sector has been curbed already by oversupply of cells and modules as well as tight credit conditions, which have thrown the sector into a prolonged crisis.

(Reporting by Peter Dinkloh, writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)