Municipal Added Value: Qualitas Energy to Contribute More Than 1 Million Euros to Municipalities For Wind Farms in 2023

Berlin, Germany - With the new EEG, a voluntary direct payment from wind farm operators to municipalities up to a maximum amount of 0.2 ct/kWh has been possible since January 2023. In this way, municipalities can participate in the economic success of the projects.

Qualitas Energy uses this option and will pay the voluntary municipal levy of 0.2 ct/kWh for wind farms in the future. Currently, Qualitas Energy operates wind turbines in its own portfolio in Germany with a total capacity of more than 350 MW and will thus pay more than 1 million euros in voluntary municipal contributions in 2023. The company expects the annual participation of site municipalities to increase to 5 million euros after successful implementation of the current project pipeline

"We welcome the amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) with the possibility of allowing municipalities to participate directly in the economic success of their efforts to implement the energy transition through paragraph 6. This means that the expansion of wind energy goes hand in hand with municipal participation, which from now on also provides economic impulses for project municipalities”, says Borja Caruana, Managing Director of Qualitas Energy Deutschland GmbH.

The municipal levy in accordance with §6 EEG is intended to help improve the economic situation of the project communities. What the additional revenue is actually used for depends on the individual needs in the community. Possible measures include supporting local associations, e.g. in the areas of sports, culture and community, supporting educational institutions such as schools or daycare centers, or improving regional infrastructure. Since the municipal levy is directly linked to electricity production, the payment increases in particular for municipalities of repowering projects and serves as an additional incentive for them.

Qualitas Energy Deutschland GmbH is part of the Qualitas Energy Group. With a team of more than 200 employees, the company focuses on the acquisition, financing, project development, construction and operation of onshore wind power plants at its locations in Berlin, Hamburg, Wiesbaden, Trier and soon Stuttgart.

Source: IWR Online, 03 May 2023