Photo Gallery Winds Turn for Germany's Offshore Industry
Until last year, the construction of wind farms was seen as an opportunity to regenerate Germany's coast. Cities like Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven and Emden, ailing for years in the wake of declines in the shipbuilding and fishing industries, were booming.
Until this spring, the foundations for the Bard Offshore 1 wind farm, now being built about 100 kilometers off the coast, were being welded together at Cuxhaven Steel Construction (CSC). The company hasn't had any work since then, and almost all of its 450 employees have been laid off.
Economics Minister Philipp Rösler, a member of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), and Environment Minister Peter Altmaier announced plans for a cap on electricity prices in February. Changing political attitudes are having a negative effect on the offshore wind industry.
Instead of being a showcase project, the Riffgat offshore wind farm has become a symbol of the government's failed offshore wind policy.
Riffgat was expected to become a milestone of the federal government's shift away from nuclear power and toward green energy, providing clean electricity to 120,000 households.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to invest heavily in offshore wind farms as part of an overall policy to encourage renewable energy production. But the public has become increasingly skeptical as electricity bills go up.
Environment Minister Peter Altmaier has to yet to confirm he will attend the dedication this month of Riffgat, the first commercial German wind farm in the North Sea.
