German Offshore Wind Lobby Proposes Legal Reforms to Avoid Project Delays
Calls for Legal Reform and Industry Reactions
Lobby Group's Proposal and Rationale
May 20 (Reuters) - Germany's Offshore Wind Energy lobby has called for a legal reform to allow developers voluntarily to hand back unused wind farm sites so they can be offered to peers and limit delays, the group said on Wednesday.
Potential Financial Impact
• The lobby, known as BWO, says up to €50 billion ($58 billion) worth of projects planned for 2023-2025 could be delayed unless the law is changed
Industry Developments and Stakeholder Responses
Oil Majors' Changing Interests
• The comments follow a joint report by German Sueddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcaster NDR saying oil majors TotalEnergies and BP have lost interest in their German offshore projects
Regulatory and Grid Challenges
• The report said the projects have faced deteriorating regulatory conditions, including grid connection delays
Joint Venture and Company Statements
• JERA Nex BP, the joint venture between BP and Japan's JERA Co in charge of the German offshore projects, said it continued to assess the options and was "engaged with stakeholders including the German government"
• TotalEnergies said the company's strategy to develop offshore wind in Germany has not changed
• Last year, TotalEnergies said the grid delays had prompted it to launch a review of concessions obtained since 2023, with a view to engaging in dialogue with the German authorities
Additional Information
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(Reporting by Holger Hansen in Berlin, Stephanie Kelly, Nina Chestney and Shadia Nasralla in London, America Hernandez in Paris and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt; editing by Barbara Lewis)
