NZIA lecture: 15th onshore wind conference windWERT on August 26 in Kiel

Under the motto “More added value for the region”, windWERT brings together experts from politics, administration, business and science once a year – for an active exchange on the future of wind energy in Schleswig-Holstein. Katja, Rosenburg, Senior Cluster Manager EE.SH Erneuerbare Energien Schleswig-Holstein and Managing Director of mEErFrauen e.V. organizes windWERT.

With a focus on value creation for the wind industry in Europe, my topic is: “Net Zero Industry Act – More competitiveness for the German wind industry?” at 10:55 a.m. in the ATLANTIC Hotel Kiel at the 15th windWERT onshore wind conference on August 26, 2025: https://ee-sh.de/de/veranstaltungen/termine/Save-the-Date-windWERT-2025.php

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this topic. I would like to take a critical look at the European framework conditions and discuss the competitiveness of the German wind industry in tenders.

If the primary objective of this Regulation is to build a growing and resilient industrial base for the deployment of renewable energy technologies, the harmonized application of tendering criteria across the EU is of paramount importance. Fragmentation of the internal market must be avoided without compromising the rapid, efficient and sustainable expansion of renewable energies. An EU-wide application and transferability of the pre-qualification and tendering criteria is necessary in order not to further jeopardize the attractiveness (feasibility) of cost-efficient tenders for companies throughout the Union.

The flexibility for Member States to choose to apply certain non-price criteria to at least 30% of the volume auctioned annually per Member State comes at a very high price. To achieve the objectives of this net zero law within a reasonable timeframe, a significantly higher percentage and simple, applicable criteria are required.

In the offshore wind industry, for example, there is already a strong distortion of competition. This price differential and competitive disadvantage for companies in Europe should be compensated by very specific qualification criteria as well as possible subsidies and targeted financing models to enable a resilient supply chain and a resilient sustainable energy supply.
The current global industrial situation requires such targeted economic compensation measures to build sufficient industrial capacity in the renewable energy sector, to act as a driver for job creation and to take into account the other elements/ideas of the Green Industrial Deal. Excursus: “Resilience roadmap for permanent magnets developed by the European wind industry”

In comparison, the Clean Industry Bonus offers additional revenue support in the form of Contracts for Difference (CfD) to applicants in the UK who choose to invest in the economic, social and environmental sustainability of their supply chains. Applicants can apply for further revenue support through a competitive process if they choose to invest according to two criteria: shorter supply chains or cleaner supply chains, as set out in the CIB allocation framework.
These are different approaches that, if coordinated and simplified, could enable a very strong single European market.

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (18.06.2025 – Press release – Energiewende): The Net-Zero Industry Act is a European regulation to strengthen production capacities for key climate-neutral technologies in Europe. These so-called net-zero technologies are crucial future technologies for companies and regions. (….)

As a next step, the German government will press ahead with the national design of the planned resilience auctions. In addition to the price criterion, they should also take into account qualitative criteria in renewable energy auctions, including in relation to resilience, cyber security and sustainability. The auctions will thus help to diversify the supply chains of net-zero industries and strengthen European manufacturers.

🔹 Further program highlights:
▪ Political framework conditions & legal hotspots
▪ First draft of the new regional plans
▪ CO₂ value rights & emissions trading
▪ Battery storage & co-location in practice
▪ Hydrogen: challenges & prospects
… and other highly topical issues relating to the wind industry!

☕ Registration, breakfast & networking from 9:00 a.m.
From 5:15 p.m.: Wind community meeting on deck 8 with a view over the Kiel Fjord

ℹ️ About windWERT: The onshore wind conference windWERT, organized by EE.SH – Netzwerkagentur Erneuerbare Energien Schleswig-Holstein, has been a fixture in the industry calendar since 2011. With a focus on “creating added value for the region”, it stands for practical exchange, political classification and technical innovation in the field of onshore wind energy.

👉 Find out more and register now:
🔗 https://ee-sh.de/de/veranstaltungen/termine/Save-the-Date-windWERT-2025.php

windWERT 2025 – mEErFauen e.V. is part of it! – https://www.meerfrauen.org/