The AquaVentus Förderverein e.V. welcomes the present draft legislation, which enables an acceleration of the hydrogen market ramp-up. The AquaVentus Förderverein and its more than 100 members particularly support the intent of the Directive as it is to be implemented in the Offshore Wind Energy Act, with the aim of significantly accelerating approval procedures for renewable energy projects.
It is further to be welcomed that the construction of facilities for hydrogen production at sea is deemed to be of overriding public interest in view of the future energy system as a whole. The planned legislation thereby harmonises the standards for offshore wind turbines and creates the necessary level playing field to enable technology-neutral further development towards the efficient harnessing of offshore wind energy.
An appropriate auction design that takes account of the considerable risks borne by the first projects is a decisive prerequisite for the successful ramp-up of this technology. This must ensure both the realisation of the projects on the SEN-1 sites and the transport of the volumes produced via a national collector pipeline connected to the European network. In addition, a binding expansion pathway is needed to build up the supply chain. It begins with a reliable timetable for the forthcoming SEN-1 auctions and extends to the optioning of a further 10 gigawatts of sites in the EEZ for offshore electrolysis in the "AquaVentus target area", the Entenschnabel.