Germany: Rösler Discusses Challenges in Offshore Wind Development

The Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Dr. Philipp Rösler yesterday met with representatives of the North German coastal states and the transmission system operators to discuss solutions to the challenges in the development of offshore wind energy.

The main questions were about the issue of liability for delays and disruptions of supply from offshore wind farms, and the funding required for the necessary transmission lines, particularly in the North Sea.

Minister Rösler: “During the energy shift, offshore wind energy is an important building block. Therefore, we need to improve the conditions for investment in offshore wind energy. Particularly important is the issue of liability, for which the federal government will give their proposal in summer. We will not only clarify the allocation of risk, but also the necessary system changes to back offshore network development. Without investment in the networks, development of offshore wind energy is not possible.“

Dr. Olaf Joachim, the head of the Bremen Senate stressed the urgency of the liability issue for the five northern German states. ” Investment halt is a matter of weeks rather than months. Therefore, the fact that the government plans to submit the regulations is a step in the right direction. This will benefit mainly the medium-sized companies engaged in offshore wind energy. However, it is equally important that the network operator TenneT fulfills its obligations. The company is starting an investment of five billion euros. But we need another investment of up to 15 billion € for offshore wind energy. Major offshore projects are currently on hold because the in time grid connection cannot be guaranteed. We need a solution, fast.”

Federal and state governments have agreed to continue resolving the challenges in offshore wind energy expansion.

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Offshore WIND staff, August 09, 2012; Image: bmwi