VDMA, BDEW Fight for German Offshore Wind Advancement

Offshore wind can make an important contribution to the sustainable power supply in Germany, Thorsten Herdan, Managing Director of VDMA Power Systems, and Hildegard Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Association of Energy and Water (BDEW), emphasized during a meeting at the 8th German Energy Congress in Munich. 

“The current energy debate within the election campaign should not obscure the fact that any new government  urgently has to take necessary energy policy reforms after September 22. 

“Federal and state governments share the responsibility to put the success of the energy transition project at the center of their energy policy. The Renewable Energy Act needs to be reformed as soon as possible to synchronize the largely uncontrolled construction of new generating facilities with the network expansion and to minimize the cost burden.

“The energy market also requires a reform that takes into account the indispensable role of manageable power plants for sustainability of supply in the future energy system,” VDMA and BDEW said.

The offshore wind energy assumes the central role in the successful implementation of the energy policy despite the current problems and delays. Both organizations agreed in this.

Offshore wind is an industry of its own, Thorsten Herdan says. After the election, an interim law for offshore wind energy must be provided – detached from the Renewable Energy Act. Otherwise, no further investments are possible beyond the current first phase of a total of nearly 3 Gigawatts, after which the offshore wind industry will face a melt-down in the important home market. The aim of the second stage of the Act should be achievement of 5 Gigawatts so as to reduce costs for one third, Mr. Herdan added.

“BDEW is firmly convinced that a cost-effective achievement of 60, 70 or 80 percent of renewable energy in gross electricity consumption will be possible only with offshore wind. The required billion in investment in the next generation technology needs stable and reliable conditions – both on the side of the offshore wind farms as well as the network connection ,” Hildegard Müller concluded.

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Offshore WIND Staff, September 11, 2013