RWE CEO renews call to remove barriers to renewables expansion

German energy giant RWE is accelerating the expansion of renewable energy sources, Guido M. Hartmann writes in Welt am Sonntag. Speaking at a recent press event in Düsseldorf, RWE CEO Markus Krebber said the company was now “number two in the world for offshore electricity.” RWE is currently building renewable power plants with a combined capacity of almost four gigawatts (GW) – roughly the output of four nuclear power plants, Hartmann notes. By the end of 2022, the company aims to add more than 13 GW of wind, solar and storage capacity. RWE is also currently working on projects with a combined output of more than 30 GW, located mainly on the North and Baltic Seas. RWE has had an easier time building offshore wind projects than onshore farms, which face more hurdles, such as public protests. Krebber described the distance requirement of 1,000 metres between wind turbines and the nearest residential development in North Rhine-Westphalia as an obstacle to the energy transition. He said he expected the state government to facilitate RWE’s repowering efforts – the replacement of wind turbines with higher and more powerful installations. Krebber also called for the country’s new federal government following next month’s elections to standardise certain approval procedures. He stressed that the Bundestag should be the legislative body to decide on important energy and infrastructure projects.

Krebber has repeatedly called for Germany’s next government to quickly remove the obstacles to the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources and the development of a hydrogen economy.