The German government is being urged by a coalition of offshore wind operators, transmission system operators, and environmental NGOs to support ideas for long-term offshore wind growth.
TenneT, 50hertz, Amprion, and BWO are part of the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN), which has published proposals to guarantee that offshore wind growth is done in a way that is environmentally benign.
“Human activities and environment protection must be organized with adequate respect for each other and the overall marine ecosystem,”
according to OCEaN. When designing marine zones, climate and nature conservation requirements must be prioritized, and the repercussions of other maritime activities must be minimised.
“Avoiding marine protected zones (MPAs) and using compensating measures can help with this.” This will help to avoid future confrontations and hasten the process.”
A stakeholder conversation on co-usage should also be established, according to OCEaN, in order to reduce disputes and grow and consistently employ transparent and effective European collaboration.
“An overarching spatial planning concept for the North Sea and Baltic Sea, as well as clear involvement possibilities in current international cooperation fora, are both critically required.”
“Offshore wind farms and the infrastructure that connects them must be developed in a future-oriented way, anchored in a European, cross-border strategy that also considers onshore grid growth,” OCEaN noted. It is suggested that projects start planning with publicly available data.
“We are glad that the collaboration with transmission system operators and environmental and climate protection organizations in the OCEaN is already producing its first fruits in Germany,” said Stefan Thimm, managing director of the Federal Association of Wind Farm Operators Offshore.
“The joint study sends a strong message to policymakers: expanding offshore Wind energy in a way that is both vital and feasible for the environment.”
“It is critical that climate and environmental protection be no longer pitted against one another, but rather are effectively intertwined and appropriately addressed.”