Germany’s Red Tape Creates a Berlin-Sized Hole in Energy Shift

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Before a wind project even gets considered, there’s an informal inquiry. The Bundeswehr’s 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’s biggest wind-power developers. 

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Other countries don’t face the same complexity as Germany, where at least two agencies are involved in dealing with military airspace issues: the Bundeswehr’s air-traffic department and the defense-infrastruture agency. With responsibilities divided between them, information can fall through the cracks.

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“It’s a very specific, uncharted problem,” said Inigo Olaguibel, chairman of Qualitas Energy, the biggest investor in German repowering projects. “We need to find solutions.”

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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.

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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.

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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 — and less than half ultimately received authorization, according to a study by the BWE wind-power lobby group. 

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“Neither military training areas nor helicopter routes are a fundamental problem, but rather the Bundeswehr’s late and incomplete communication and its unwillingness to find compromise solutions,” it said in the study.

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The German military has gotten the message and communication has become better and more transparent, according to BayWa’s Hornig. In cases where plans have been rejected, the Bundeswehr has offered alternatives, such as accepting lower turbines or relocations.

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“These regulations do not represent an absolute barrier,” said Detlef Schreiber, chief executive officer of CEE Group, an asset manager specializing in repowering projects. Wind-power upgrades “can still make economic sense if adjustments are made — to the height of the turbines, for example.”

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Along Germany’s coastline in the north — where most wind farms are built — the landscape is flat, which means areas kept free for radar installations are relatively large. But in Tübingen, in rolling hills near the Black Forest, the issue was low-flying helicopters.

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Relocating the routes a few hundred meters would have been enough to proceed with the wind project, but the Bundeswehr said it couldn’t legally designate new ones, according to the mayor. 

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“You get to the point where you realize that it’s not because of reality, but because of the regulations — as is often the case in Germany,” Palmer said.

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Despite the headaches, Tübingen’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 isn’t in jeopardy. A bigger wind project is well on its way, with the necessary planning information from the German military. 

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“This means that what we’ve experienced — being stopped at the last minute — should no longer happen,” he said.

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