Environmental organization WWF supports the German government’s plan no longer to provide hydropower subsidies for plants for electricity generation.
During the ongoing revision of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG 2023), WWF Germany is advocating for eliminating environmental subsidies for new and environmentally particularly problematic small hydropower plants.
To this end, WWF published a commentary document ahead of hearings on the new version of the EEG in the Bundestag Committee on Climate Protection and Energy on Monday, May 16th.
The federal government no longer wants to support electricity generation from small hydroelectric plants. This drew criticism from several associations. WWF, on the other hand, believes that this is the right decision but demands more.
WWF welcomes the German government’s plan to remove EEG and hydropower subsidies for new hydroelectric power plants below 500 kilowatts (kW).
However, the organization said there was still room for improvement in the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), such as extending the subsidy freeze to installations up to 1 megawatt instead of the planned 500 kilowatts.
The organization added that the government‘s draft proposal to link EEG subsidies to stringent requirements for fish protection, flotation, and minimum water flow is also welcomed.
The state of the vast majority of running waters in Germany is not very good, and support under the EEG 2023 should not lead to further deterioration, experts say.