German network agency awards onshore wind power, solar licences

Germany’s power network agency said on Friday it had awarded licences to build onshore wind turbines with the capacity to produce 204 megawatts (MW), after its Oct. 1 auction, aiming for a possible maximum of 675 MW, was again undersubscribed.

The Bundesnetzagentur energy markets regulator also said in its statement that it had awarded 153 MW of solar power capacity out of a tender volume of 648 MW, with nearly all permits going to Bavarian bidders.

The authority has warned that a sharp fall in applications for green power projects threatens the country’s energy transformation. The economy ministry this month presented a schedule to reverse the lull.

Developers have shied away from bidding in the last two years, saying that what they called an unreliable political framework was deterring companies and equipment makers.

The planning and permissioning of applications, especially for wind turbines, is often lengthened as local citizens agitate to stop the construction of new infrastructure. Such action has also slowed related network expansons.

The average price in the October wind auction was 0.62 euro per kilowatt hour (kWh), with most of the 25 permits awarded to bidders in Brandenburg, North Rhine Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein states, the authority said.

The average price in the solar auction was 0.49 euro per kWh.

The next tender for both technologies will be held jointly on Nov. 1. The next separate tenders are due on Dec. 1.

Source: Reuters