A report from the Research Institute for Energy Economics (FfE) indicates that the planned limitation of lease rates for wind turbines, proposed by Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche (CDU), could significantly reduce the costs of subsidies under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) over the next twenty years. According to findings cited by the “Handelsblatt”, cumulative savings of up to 37 billion euros are possible by 2045, which would free up funds for the federal budget.
The expert assessment details the potential impact of capping these lease rates. It compares the 3.5 percent lease rate established in Reiche’s proposed EEG amendment against hypothetical rates of five, ten, and twenty percent of annual revenue. The study projects that comparing the 3.5 percent rate to a 5 percent rate would generate accumulated savings of three billion euros by 2045. However, if the lease rate were set at 20 percent, the potential savings could rise to 37 billion euros, according to the report.
The Association of Municipal Companies (VKU), which has long advocated for limiting these lease payments, commissioned the study. Ingbert Liebing, CEO of VKU, told the “Handelsblatt”: “Every euro that does not go into lease payments benefits the federal budget and thus the taxpayers without jeopardizing the expansion targets.” He added that it “is not the responsibility of the taxpayers to subsidize the living standards of large landowners through the EEG.”
