Germany's SPD aims for quick renewables subsidy reform: document

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) will push for a quick reform of renewable energy incentives in any deal to share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, according to SPD documents prepared for coalition talks on Tuesday. The goal is "agreement on the (main features of) a reform of the Renewable Energy Law by Easter 2014", said the SPD documents which were obtained by Reuters. German industry will also have to share more of the cost of the expansion of green energy, said the SPD, adding that it envisaged the number of firms exempted from a surcharge for renewable energy being reduced by more than half to about 1,000. Energy policy is a crucial element of the coalition talks but many points presented in the SPD paper did not appear wholly incompatible with conservative ideas. (Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Stephen Brown)