Bärbel Heidebroek, president of the Wind Energy Association, has heavily criticized the Federal Government’s planned energy reforms, warning that the legislative package risks stalling the growth of renewable energy sources. Speaking to the newspaper “Die Zeit”, Heidebroek stated that if Minister Reiche’s plans are implemented as written, it would constitute a “real step backward into the fossil era.”
A major point of concern for the industry relates to regulations affecting regions where numerous wind and solar parks are already feeding green electricity into the grid, but where these facilities must be shut down due to grid overload. Under the proposed rules, operators of new installations will no longer receive compensation if the grid operator mandates their curtailment due to system strain. Heidebroek warned that for operators, this translates to a projected average reduction of income by about 20%.
Due to this intense price pressure, the viability of many projects has already been compromised. Companies planning wind farms are now laying off employees, and similar threats loom over other industry sectors, including turbine manufacturers. Heidebroek cautioned that if domestic German manufacturers decline, Chinese firms stand to benefit significantly. “No one wants the wind industry to end up like the solar industry and become dependent on China,” she asserted.
The legislative package includes amendments to the Renewable Energy Sources Act and a new law regulating the conditions for electricity grid operators. The government finalized these drafts at the end of July. The Federal Association for Wind Energy accuses Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) of unfairly burdening green electricity producers with these rules, while simultaneously protecting grid operators from similar obligations. According to the association president, this law “fails to mandate quicker expansion from grid operators. It is truly a bill favoring the grid operators.”
Furthermore, the wind energy lobbyist, Heidebroek, lamented the limited communication between the industry and the Economics Minister. While cooperation with the relevant State Secretary is positive, she noted that since the government took office, she has only had a brief conversation with Minister Reiche once. “The dialogue with the Minister is completely missing for our industry,” Heidebroek concluded.
