{"id":73447,"date":"2025-05-04T09:03:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T09:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/73447\/"},"modified":"2025-05-04T09:03:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T09:03:14","slug":"germanys-red-tape-creates-a-berlin-sized-hole-in-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/73447\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany\u2019s Red Tape Creates a Berlin-Sized Hole in Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Bloomberg) — Nestled along the banks of the Neckar River in southwest Germany, the bucolic university town of T\u00fcbingen is known for its association with poets and philosophers such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, but it\u2019s now in the midst of a conflict that pits defense interests against energy security.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Located a short drive from the French and Swiss borders, T\u00fcbingen is far from any conflict zones, and yet German rules that reserve airspace for military use have meant the city of 90,000 had to cancel construction of three wind turbines. The site was carefully selected on the outskirts, with minimal disruption to nature and had the potential to provide electricity for 10,000 people .<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything went perfectly,\u201d said Mayor Boris Palmer. \u201cThen, at the last minute, the Bundeswehr \u2014 who\u2019d never contacted us before \u2014 came and said \u2018No\u2019.\u201d That meant around half a million euros invested into planning and approval was wasted, added the independent politician, who was previously a member of the Green party.<\/p>\n

T\u00fcbingen Mayor Boris Palmer in the town’s market place.Photographer: Alex Kraus\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n

T\u00fcbingen isn\u2019t alone. Across Germany, some 5 gigawatts of capacity \u2014 more than enough to power a city the size of Berlin \u2014 have been hampered since 2020 by military concerns over hindering the operation of radar and helicopters, according to wind-energy association BWE.<\/p>\n

The issue bogs down two of Germany\u2019s key priorities: becoming more self-sufficient in energy and bolstering national security. Both have taken on greater importance in the aftermath of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, which triggered an energy crisis after Moscow cut off gas deliveries. And Spain\u2019s widespread blackout\u00a0this past week shows how vulnerable power grids in the midst of a transition to renewables can be.<\/p>\n

The dilemma also reflects how Germany\u2019s tangle of red tape could\u00a0hamper efforts by Friedrich Merz\u2019s new government \u2014 set to be sworn in on on Tuesday \u2014 to invest hundreds of billions of euros to shore up the sputtering economy and rearm as Donald Trump\u2019s White House threatens to pull back from Europe\u2019s defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a pioneer in renewable power, Germany started installing large-scale wind farms some 20 years ago. As older facilities reach the end of their lifespans, one option is to replace them with newer ones with higher capacity \u2014 a process known as repowering.\u00a0<\/p>\n

New towers are taller, and blade tips can reach as high as 250 meters above ground, which in some cases is over twice the height of earlier models. That means more potential to encroach on airspace reserved for civilian and military radar and routes for helicopters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The university town in southwest Germany had to cancel a wind project because of rules that reserve certain airspace for military use.Photographer: Alex Kraus\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n

The German military vetoed\u00a0around 6% of wind projects during the approval process in the past four years, according to the federal agency that oversees defense infrastructure. While that might sound small, it translates to\u00a0more than the capacity added annually in the country, said Leonhard Probst from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest problem is the uncertainty,\u201d he said. \u201cThat causes many projects to fail before approval due to the obviously unclear and unpredictable processes.\u201d<\/p>\n

German authorities said defense issues aren\u2019t the problem. \u201cMilitary concerns were not always the sole deciding factor\u201d\u00a0in rejections of wind-power projects, said the defense-infrastructure agency. \u201cThe solution is therefore to plan projects carefully and involve the Bundeswehr at an early stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before a wind project even gets considered, there\u2019s an informal inquiry. The Bundeswehr\u2019s response times can take up to six months for a preliminary request, according to Andreas Hornig, head of BayWa r.e. Wind GmbH, one of Germany\u2019s biggest wind-power developers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other countries don\u2019t face the same complexity as Germany, where at least two agencies are involved in dealing with military airspace issues: the Bundeswehr\u2019s air-traffic department and the defense-infrastruture agency. With responsibilities divided between them, information can fall through the cracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very specific, uncharted problem,\u201d said Inigo Olaguibel, chairman of Qualitas Energy, the biggest investor in German repowering projects. \u201cWe need to find solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trees cast a shadow on the plot of land proposed for the wind turbines next to the Traufwiesen Solar Park.Photographer: Alex Kraus\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n

The sector has been in discussions with the German military as well as policymakers for months. Potential workarounds range from laxer rules in certain areas to special devices to support radar signals near turbines like ones developed by Indra Sistemas SA for neighboring Poland, he added.<\/p>\n

Finding a solution is critical, with Germany expected to be one of the three largest markets for repowering projects over the next decade, according to BloombergNEF estimates. But the current pace indicates it will fall short of a goal of 115 gigawatts of installed onshore capacity by 2030.<\/p>\n

To make up the shortfall, Germany will need to upgrade existing wind parks and add new ones. But since 2020, only about 20% of onshore wind projects that were affected by military issues progressed through the approval process \u2014 and less than half ultimately received authorization, according to a study by the BWE wind-power lobby group.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither military training areas nor helicopter routes are a fundamental problem, but rather the Bundeswehr\u2019s late and incomplete communication and its unwillingness to find compromise solutions,\u201d it said in the study.<\/p>\n

The German military has gotten the message and\u00a0communication has become better and more transparent, according to BayWa\u2019s Hornig. In cases where plans have been rejected, the Bundeswehr has offered alternatives, such as accepting lower turbines or relocations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese regulations do not represent an absolute barrier,\u201d said Detlef Schreiber, chief executive officer of CEE Group, an asset manager specializing in repowering projects. Wind-power upgrades \u201ccan still make economic sense if adjustments are made \u2014 to the height of the turbines, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

The town’s dilemma reflects how Germany\u2019s tangle of red tape could hamper efforts by the new government to invest hundreds of billions of euros to shore up the sputtering economy.Photographer: Alex Kraus\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n

Along Germany\u2019s coastline in the north \u2014 where most wind farms are built \u2014 the landscape is flat, which means areas kept free for radar installations are relatively large. But in T\u00fcbingen, in rolling hills near the Black Forest, the issue was low-flying helicopters.<\/p>\n

Relocating the routes a few hundred meters would have been enough to proceed with the wind project, but the Bundeswehr said it couldn\u2019t legally designate new ones, according to the mayor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to the point where you realize that it\u2019s not because of reality, but because of the regulations \u2014 as is often the case in Germany,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n

Despite the headaches, T\u00fcbingen\u2019s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 isn\u2019t in jeopardy. A bigger wind project is well on its way, with the necessary planning information from the German military.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means that what we\u2019ve experienced \u2014 being stopped at the last minute \u2014 should no longer happen,\u201d he\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\u00a92025 Bloomberg L.P.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Bloomberg) — Nestled along the banks of the Neckar River in southwest Germany, the bucolic university town 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