German defence ministry 'could halt project' over Chinese wind turbine fears
Ministry confirms it issued statement on construction of Luxcara project in North Sea with turbines by Chinese OEM Mingyang
Germany’s defence ministry is openly flagging concerns over the use of Chinese kit in German offshore wind farms and reportedly could halt construction of the Waterkant project, which developer Luxcara is planning to build with turbines from Mingyang.
Asked in general about the use of Chinese wind turbines in German waters, a defence ministry official said: “We must balance the goal of climate neutrality with the goals of military security and the operational capability of the Bundeswehr [German Army].
“It is clear that there are concerns here, that we have concerns about the fact that Chinese elements are being used here.”
Chinese turbines and surveillance technology could be used to spy on critical sea routes, harbour entrances, and military training areas in the North Sea, the the news outlet stated.
The Waterkant project is located around 90km north of the island of Borkum in Germany’s exclusive economic zone, and close to key North Sea shipping routes.
Chinese vessels have recently been suspected of espionage in the North and Baltic Seas, as well as helping Russia's shadow fleet in acts of sabotage against critical undersea infrastructure such as power cables – heightening concerns by governments and the wind industry that Chinese turbines could in the future also get involved in such activity.
Sensors and cameras equipped with Chinese offshore wind technology could allow the sea approaches to Cuxhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, and Hamburg, as well as military-relevant training areas, to be directly monitored, both above and possibly underwater, the news outlet reported. Furthermore, the control and regulation elements could be shut down through sabotage, thus jeopardising the security of supply for German consumers, it was claimed.
"As demonstrated not least by the decisions regarding 5G networks, the Federal Ministry of the Interior takes potential security risks associated with untrustworthy manufacturers very seriously," the ministry said.
"This applies particularly to the energy sector, which is of particular importance due to its fundamental relevance to security of supply."
The ministry didn't comment further on the content of its statement to the BSH, though.
"Its primary purpose is to consider the concerns of relevant stakeholders and incorporate them into the final planning," Luxcara said.
"At this time, we do not yet know the content of the submitted comments, but we are in close contact with the relevant authorities.
"The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) is responsible for issuing the planning approval decision."
The BSH said it is currently reviewing the proposed Luxcara project and the comments received.
Red button to turn off power supply?
Asked about a potential stop to the use of Chinese turbines in German waters, the offshore wind federation (BWO), a group mostly representing operators of wind at sea, pointed to an already highly globalised supply chain, in which European manufacturers such as Vestas or Siemens Gamesa use many Chinese components in their wind turbines.
While Europe fundamentally should do everything to strengthen its supply chain, “at the same time, the BWO advocates for open global trade”, the group’s managing director Stefan Thimm said at an offshore conference in Berlin last week.
“We do not believe in protective measures and the fundamental rejection of plants and manufacturers simply because they come from countries that are currently in geopolitical conflict with us.”
At the same time, Europe must “ensure that there isn't that famous red button that can turn off our power supply in Europe,” Thimm said.
“Instead, we need to consider which components we can source, and which are safety-relevant.”
But, as the Luxcara project – along with 16GW of other offshore wind capacity – had been allocated already under framework conditions without constraints, measures restricting the market now and increasing costs for the procurement of large components could be seen as “retroactive”, Thimm warned.
“We strongly reject this. Of course, we have to consider cybersecurity, but we can't simply say that just because the plants come from whatever country — China is always cited — they shouldn't be built here. We don't believe in that.”