The German government will not provide financial compensation to developers of offshore wind farms that do not secure grid capacity in the country’s 2017 and 2018 auctions.
Deputy federal energy minister Uwe Beckmeyer said: “We obtained expert opinions and we are confident that we will not have to pay.
“There are well developed projects that have cost quite some money. But there has never been a public guarantee that they will be realised,” he said.
“Developers acted in good faith and were looking for a fast buck,” Beckmeyer (pictured) told the Bremerhaven wind summit this week.
However, Andreas Wellbrock, director of industry body Wind Energy Agency, said: “Offshore wind farm developers were not looking for a fast buck, but invested millions in a number of projects in the North Sea and it is legitimate that they will take legal action to enforce their claims.”
Germany has defined a number of criteria for projects to be eligible in the two 1.55GW auctions.
Far offshore projects or projects without a public hearing in the licensing procedure will be excluded.
A government body will take over the development of offshore projects that did not meet a list of criteria for the 2017 and 2018 auctions.
The respective areas will then be auctioned off after 2025.
Image: Adwen
Berlin shuns offshore cash claims
No compensation for projects unsuccessful in 2017 and 2018 auctions
By EBS