Habeck demands more space for wind turbines

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) appealed to the federal states and municipalities on Friday to make more space available for new wind turbines. "There are currently too few viable projects," said the minister at a conference on renewable energies in Thuringia, to which he was connected live from Berlin. The bureaucratic obstacles at federal level for the construction of new wind turbines, but also of solar systems would be cleared away.

He therefore asked that the federal states and municipalities not hide behind the bureaucracy when it came to speeding up the installation of renewable energies. "There are mayors who solve problems and there are mayors who marvel at problems," said Habeck. It can already be seen in the case of industrial settlements: "It will be a competitive advantage to make renewable electricity available cheaply."

The Green politician announced quick decisions on gas and electricity price brakes. "It's progressing at full speed," he said. "The prices have to go down, that's indisputable." On Friday, the Federal Council cleared the way for 200 billion euros in new debt to dampen gas and electricity prices.

Habeck expressed the hope that, given the fall in wholesale gas prices over the course of 2023, the federal government will not have to raise as much money to relieve the burden on citizens and the economy as it did this winter. However, the lower gas prices are "not yet a signal of complete calming down".

Among the reasons for the positive developments on the gas markets, Habeck cited full storage facilities and the clear signals from politicians to take further measures.