The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is taking significant steps to bolster the IT security of wind power installations and foster a more equitable competitive landscape in the wind energy industry across Germany and Europe. This initiative, embraced by the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), seeks rapid implementation to address pressing concerns.

Elevated IT Security Standards

The ministry's package calls for cyber security protocols applicable to all enterprises with control access to power generation facilities. According to BWE President Bärbel Heidebroek, establishing a legal framework is imperative to ensure that only EU member countries can access energy installations, with sensitive data restricted to being stored and processed within the EU.

Collaborating closely with the wind energy sector, the ministry aims to develop practical and effective security measures swiftly, integrating these into ongoing legislative efforts. This approach aims to ensure critical IT components in the energy sector can be examined expediently.

Reducing Reliance on China

Amidst global competition, Germany intends to strengthen the wind energy market by utilizing trade defense tools like anti-dumping measures to promote a fairer playing field. The ministry references the "Foreign Subsidies Regulation," which facilitates investigations into foreign subsidies, relevant in scrutinizing Chinese suppliers for wind turbines across multiple EU nations.

China's dominance in supplying permanent magnets, crucial for wind turbine generators, represents a significant dependency, with 90% sourced from China. To attenuate this reliance, the Critical Raw Material Acts and the Net Zero Industry Act will guide strategies, with a detailed roadmap expected by the year's end in collaboration with the industry.

Financial Commitments and Industry Support

To support the scaling up of wind power production, the government plans to allocate €16 billion through the expansion of the KfW's "Consortial Credit for Sustainable Transformation." This financial backing aims to swiftly meet the industry's needs.

The importance of robust security in the wind power sector was highlighted in April 2022 by a cyberattack on Deutsche Windtechnik, which temporarily disrupted monitoring capabilities of approximately 2,000 wind turbines.

This effort showcases the government's commitment to strengthening the wind energy sector's infrastructure against potential vulnerabilities and decreasing its reliance on non-EU countries.

This story was reported by heise online.