German utility, RWE has delayed announcement regarding the investment decision for Innogy Nordsee wind farm in the North Sea, according to Handelsblatt.
The major reason for the temporary freeze on investment is legal liability risks.
The company has planned to start the “Innogy Nordsee 1“ project in the second half of this year, but that decision was prolonged until the beginning of the next year.
RWE CEO Peter Terium said: “As long asthe liability issue of the network operators for delays and failures is not regulated, I will not propose any further projects to the Board of RWE AG, since they would have no chance of approval.”
Despite strong pressure from the energy industry, the German government has not been able to bring themselves to lay the legal foundations for the development of wind energy. It has not been defined who is responsible when plants are completed, but cannot go online. The question is whether the network operator bears the risk or the wind farm developer.
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Offshore WIND staff, July 25, 2012; Image: rwe