The Federal Network Agency has announced the results of the tender for the bid deadline December 1, 2020.
Hermann Albers, President of the Bundesverband WindEnergie, explains: “In 2020 a total of 3,860 MW onshore wind were tendered, but only 2,672 MW were awarded. The lost volume of 1,188 MW weighs heavily on the energy transition. The energy from these unconverted volumes is missing to meet the dynamically growing demand for CO2-free electricity. Rapid dynamization of permits and additions is required to close the gap that has arisen. The coalition’s promise in the resolution on the EEG last week to act in the first quarter of 2021 is therefore even more important. “
The first oversubscription of a tender in the current year was expected. According to the association, the cause lies in the positive trend in approvals, which the industry has worked hard for in the past few months. Even more permits would be possible if the federal legislature finally implemented the onshore wind task list. An adjustment of the distances around the radio beacons to international standards, for example, would be immediately implementable as a “low-hanging fruit”. The second aspect that led to a high number of applicants was the uncertainties about the regulations from January 1, 2021 Projects that were only approved immediately before the deadline, so the project promoters tried to come under the plannable regulations of the EEG 2017.
“The grid expansion area had a blocking effect for the second time. Not all of the projects submitted were taken into account when the bid deadline was October 1st, 2020. It is good that this will no longer work in the coming year and that the projects in the northern German states will not be slowed down any further. At the same time, we welcome the fact that the EEG 2021 provides a clear impetus for greater expansion in the southern German federal states. State and regional planning is now called upon to set the course for a stable area backdrop. Onshore wind energy needs at least two percent of the area in every federal state in order to make its contribution to the renewable energy industry and climate protection, ”Hermann Albers made clear.
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