In Germany, government bureaucracy gets slapped on the wrist fairly promptly. EON AG and RWE AG, the country’s largest utilities, recently declared that they would cease investing in German’s ongoing wind power projects unless the government fixed its lethargic permits system and other problems such as acquisition of transformer stations and necessary cables.
In response, Germany’s government has drafted a bill which establishes an upper limit to costs bearable by utilities operators. Excessive costs will be borne by consumers, barring exceptions. The government will also recompense wind farm operators for any delays hooking their plants up to the power grid.
Bloomberg reports:
“With the planned liability arrangement we provide wind park investors and grid operators with the necessary security needed for the further development of offshore wind power,” Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said in a statement.
Germany hopes to attain 10 gigawatts of power generated through offshore wind farms by 2020, which will likely replace existing nuclear power operations.
The legislative development will be welcomed eagerly, as bureaucratic delays and connection problems frequently bring power development projects to a standstill.
