German wind developer Alterric has warned that the EEG amendment for 2027 and the accompanying grid connection package, both approved by the federal cabinet, risk becoming a serious brake on the renewables build-out. In a position paper the company argued the measures would push up power generation costs and weaken the competitiveness of German industry.
“Both projects, in their current form, drive up generation costs and lastingly weaken the competitiveness of our industry,” said Alterric CEO Dr Frank May. He also criticised the process, calling a three-day response window for two laws of such reach “simply not acceptable,” and warned that a lack of certainty for investments already made could not stand. He urged the Bundestag to make substantial corrections during the parliamentary stage.
On the grid connection package, Alterric acknowledged the government had softened earlier drafts, shortening the designation period for so-called capacity-limited zones from ten to six years and adjusting compensation thresholds. Even so, the company said the changes fall short and warned that classifying whole regions as capacity-limited could throttle the build-out; it called for mandatory prior review of such designations by the Federal Network Agency. Alterric welcomed easier rules for co-location projects but said grid operators must digitalise their processes for the benefit to materialise.
On the EEG itself, Alterric welcomed the 12 GW increase in onshore wind auction volumes but said the reform still falls short of expectations and introduces new hurdles, pointing to the design of two-sided contracts for difference (CfDs) as a missed opportunity. For the Baltic Sea region, where Germany is a central market, the debate is a reminder that policy design — not just ambition — will shape how quickly onshore capacity actually reaches the grid.
