Enhancing structural foundations or Building superior frameworks
In 2023 and beyond, the SPD Parliamentary Group has embarked on a transformative journey, focusing on expediting planning and approval procedures for key sectors such as renewable energy, rail infrastructure, affordable housing, and broadband networks. This initiative forms part of a broader strategy to modernise Germany's infrastructure and contribute to the goal of climate neutrality.
Key aspects of this journey include:
- Renewable Energy: The government has witnessed a surge in approvals for renewable energy projects, particularly for onshore wind turbines. In 2024, approvals increased by 85%, reaching over 14,000 MW of newly approved capacity nationwide. Despite the increase, average processing times have only slightly decreased, indicating room for further acceleration. The coalition agreement aims to reduce these planning and approval delays, addressing outlier projects that significantly impact overall timings.
- Rail Infrastructure and Other Infrastructure Projects: The government has established a special infrastructure fund of EUR 500 billion over 12 years, with EUR 300 billion allocated specifically for national infrastructure, including transport, energy, digitalization, and education. These measures are designed to streamline funding flows and support accelerated planning efforts to meet climate and modernization goals.
- Affordable Housing and Broadband Networks: The broader infrastructure agenda includes building renovation, likely encompassing affordable housing, and digitalization, possibly covering broadband expansion. The focus on climate neutrality and transformation supports modernising housing and communication infrastructure within these accelerated procedures.
- Policy and Parliamentary Support: The SPD holds critical roles in the coalition, with Environment Minister Carsten Schneider tasked with delivering a comprehensive Climate Action Programme by the end of 2025. These climate and infrastructure policies underpin the SPD’s strategy to expedite project approvals via legislative and regulatory reforms.
In addition to these initiatives, the SPD Parliamentary Group also aims to expand broadband and mobile networks, improve rail infrastructure, repair highway bridges, and simplify and shorten planning and approval procedures where possible. This acceleration, referred to as "igniting the infrastructure turbo," is a crucial step towards the goal of climate neutrality and a good life for all citizens.
References:
[1] Bundesregierung (2023). Kabinettsbeschluss zur Beschleunigung der Planungs- und Genehmigungsverfahren. Retrieved from https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/kabinett-beschluss-zur-beschleunigung-der-planungs-und-genehmigungsverfaerren-1835504
[2] SPD (2023). Koalitionsvertrag 2023. Retrieved from https://www.spd.de/sites/default/files/2023/05/17/koalitionsvertrag-2023-spd-gruene-fdu-die-linke.pdf
[3] Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (2023). Investitionsbank Deutschland. Retrieved from https://www.investitionsbank.de/en/investments/themes/infrastructure/index.html
- The surge in approvals for renewable energy projects, particularly in onshore wind turbines, is a key aspect of the SPD Parliamentary Group's transformative journey in 2023, which aims to expedite planning and approval procedures for sectors like renewable energy.
- Indicative of the broader strategy to modernize Germany's infrastructure and achieve climate neutrality, the government has established a special infrastructure fund of EUR 500 billion over 12 years, with a portion allocated for digitalization, including broadband networks.
- To further this strategy, the SPD Parliamentary Group aims to expand broadband and mobile networks, improve rail infrastructure, and simplify and shorten planning and approval procedures in sectors such as renewable energy.
- In line with the goal of climate neutrality, the SPD Government's environmental science and finance initiatives strive to reduce planning and approval delays in renewable energy projects, while addressing outlier projects that significantly impact overall timings.
- Leveraging data-and-cloud-computing technology and renewable energy sources, the SPD Parliamentary Group's transformative journey envisages an energy industry that is not only modernized, but also environmentally sustainable and equipped to handle the challenges of climate change.
