German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said his government plans to accelerate the construction of wind turbines in Germany, broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.
Speaking to the weekly newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Scholz said that by 2030, an average of four-to-five onshore wind turbines will be built per day.
The move is part of an effort to fill the country’s energy shortfall caused by sanctions on Russian gas imports following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
As part of the push, Germany has passed the Onshore Wind Energy Act, which came into effect at the beginning of the month.
According to the law, 2% of the country’s land mass must be designated for wind energy use by 2032. In the shorter-term, states must ensure that at least 1.4% of their land is set aside for wind projects by 2027.
“Every month, there will be talks with the states to see how far they have progressed. Whatever is not finished on time will have to be made up for,” Scholz said.
Germany has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2045, however it has been criticised by climate action groups for failing to meet its own interim targets.
Deutsche Welle notes that in 2021, Germany missed its goals in the transport and building sectors, and the need to replace Russian gas has led to the increased use of coal-fired power plants.
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