Construction of land-based wind power in Germany slowed in the first half of this year, the BWE wind energy association reported on Thursday.
A total of 250 new turbines were built with an output of 1.3 gigawatts, 19% down on the figure in the first half of 2023, the BWE said. New permits for future construction by contrast rose by 32% to 847.
The focus should be on this positive development, BWE President Bärbel Heidebroek said, adding that there was great potential for expansion.
Heidebroek pointed to windy conditions in April that had impacted construction by preventing cranes from being erected, and there had also been technical problems on construction sites, she said.
A block on a main route near Cuxhaven on the North Sea coast had caused problems in transporting rotor blades. Most of the blades are shipped to the city’s port for onward transportation by road.
Heidebroek pointed to a gap between northern and southern states. Most of the turbines erected in the first half had been built in the northern states of North Rhine Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, whereas the contribution from Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in the south had been limited, she said.
The southern states, which are home to much of Germany’s industry, needed to catch up by licensing areas where turbines could be erected, Heidebroek said.
