The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs is preparing regulatory amendments that could make the expansion of renewable energy in Germany more difficult. Those changes are outlined in a 36‑page draft of the so‑called “Netzpaket” dated 30 January, as reported by “Der Spiegel”.
Key points of the draft:
” “Capacity‑limited grid areas”.
Regions where, in the previous year, more than three per cent of produced electricity could not be fed into the grid will be officially designated as “capacity‑limited grid zones”. In such areas, installing new green power plants is intended to become less attractive.
” “Right‑of‑way rules and compensation waivers”.
Developers wishing to build a new renewable plant in one of these zones would receive an immediate grid connection only if they agree to forgo compensation for up to ten years’ worth of future curtailments.
Curtailment occurs when wind or solar generation exceeds the transport capacity of the existing lines, forcing operators to throttle or temporarily shut down plants. Operators have been paid for the unsupplied power, an allowance that is built into their cost calculations. Eliminating that pay‑out is expected to “kill” many projects, especially since already there are many areas where curtailments exceed three per cent of output.
” “Construction‑cost subsidies”.
The draft would also let grid operators demand construction‑cost subsidies from the builders of new renewable plants. Companies would be required to co‑finance parts of the costs for “optimisation, strengthening, and expansion” of the networks, further raising their investment outlays.
” “Coordination between grid and renewables”.
The ministry says it is working on measures to better synchronise the growth of renewables with network development and will publicly consult on these measures in due course.
” “Storage and other large consumers”.
Operators of large battery‑storage projects have flooded grid operators with connection requests – about 400 GW in total – although only a fraction of these projects is expected to be viable. In addition, industrial sites, data centres, charging infrastructure, telecom networks and other large‑consumer facilities also compete for the same grid connections. The draft seeks to give operators clearer legal leeway to prioritise these demands and to improve overall conditions.