As of: February 14, 2024, 3:28 p.m
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A biogas plant near Wahlstedt (Segeberg district).
© Carsten Rehder/dpa/archive image
There are no longer oil heating systems in Sprakebuell.
A biogas plant has been supplying the village with heat for ten years.
But industry representatives and mayors now see this model under threat.
Sprakebüll - From the point of view of industry representatives, sustainable heating networks in Schleswig-Holstein are threatened, among other things, by preferential treatment of southern German biogas plants in tenders by the Federal Network Agency.
The State Renewable Energy Association (LEE) fears that without EEG funding, biogas plants can no longer be operated economically and will be shut down.
“This means that renewable heat in the networks is no longer available and presents the responsible municipalities with major problems in terms of heat supply,” said LEE managing director Marcus Hrach on Wednesday in Sprakebüll (North Friesland).
Sprakebüll is something of a showcase village for the energy transition - with an above-average number of electric cars, a community wind farm and renewable heat from biogas.
According to the former mayor, Karl Richard Nissen, all houses in the town center have been connected to the local heating network and all old oil heating systems have been removed.
“We have only been in operation for ten years and have to think about where we will get our heat from in the future.” His successor in office, Jürgen Hansen, emphasizes that “as a community it bothers us” that a well-functioning system is now being compromised , where municipalities are asked to make heat planning.
According to the information, the problem is that the biogas plant that supplies the heat was built in 2005 and will no longer be eligible for EEG funding at the end of next year.
In two tenders, operator Christian Andresen sought an extension for another ten years.
Without success, although it was not because of its prices, as was said, but because biogas plants in southern Germany were preferred and the tenders were also significantly oversubscribed.
According to the Federal Network Agency, bids amounting to 910 MW were submitted for the advertised volume of 288 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity.
“It is currently becoming apparent that continuing to operate our biogas plant after 2025 is no longer economically possible,” said Andresen.
According to LEE, the southern quota introduced in 2021 means that at least 50 percent of the tender volume should go to the south of Germany.
Quantities not allocated there will therefore not be transferred to the north.
The quota was actually intended to promote the expansion of renewables in the south.
However, it now endangers, among other things, the renewable heat transition, the planning of which will be mandatory for all communities nationwide from 2028, said Hrach.
There is no specific number of how many more systems and heating networks could go offline if the current regulation is maintained.
According to Hrach, Sprakebüll is not an isolated case: “Northern Germany is facing the death of biogas plants and biogas heating networks.” Because in the coming years, more and more plants fell out of funding.
This could be prevented if the volume was increased in the next tender, said Hrach.
In addition, an additional tender for biogas plants with heating networks is necessary.
The preference for southern German plants in the tenders must also be deleted.
dpa