German Energy Minister, Herr Altmaier, you have less than 2 months

On 1 July you become President of the 27 EU Energy Ministers. 23 of them have a National Energy & Climate Plan for 2030. You do not. If you don’t complete your Plan soon, you will not be a credible President.

Your Plan is delayed because the renewables numbers are unclear. You want 65% renewable electricity by 2030. But you haven’t decided how much wind energy you need for this. Your government is debating new rules for onshore wind. You already have 18 good ideas on wind farm permitting. Build the rules around them.

And don’t put any new restrictions on the repowering of existing wind farms. You can more than double your wind energy just by replacing old turbines with new ones on the same site – and with fewer turbines!

You want more offshore wind. Good, but be careful how you finance this. “Zero premium” is tempting, but the banks then charge higher interest, and your consumers will end up paying more. Go for the “2-sided CfD” like other countries in Europe. Finance Ministries love it – they get paid back as well as paying out.

Such a Plan will unlock investment in wind energy, support jobs and drive recovery. A Green Deal for Europe. And a good deal for Germany!

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