HUSUM (dpa-AFX) - German Economics Minister Robert Habeck sees good opportunities to build converter platforms in Germany. There are not only opportunities, but also the necessity, the Green politician told journalists at the Husum Wind trade fair on Tuesday. Converter platforms are needed to collect wind power generated at sea and transport it to land. Among other things, a converter raises the voltage to minimize transmission losses.

With Bremerhaven and Rostock, there are two locations where it could go and clear interest exists, Habeck said. "And also the sites of the German ports that can't directly produce the big converter stations are partly suitable to produce or deliver components." If done well, Habeck said, starting from Bremerhaven and Rostock-Warnemünde, a converter production line could be established in the network of German shipyards. "We're working day and night to make sure we get that done, too," Habeck said. He added that this is also in the interest of safety.

"We need the converters for offshore." But the market is completely oversubscribed, he said, and there is only one production site in Europe, in Spain. Additional purchases from non-European countries should not be made. "I wouldn't do that with the converters. These are switching points of the energy system, and we also have a high interest for security policy reasons that these converters are produced in Europe and preferably in Germany."

There are ongoing discussions between the Schwerin state government and the German Defense Ministry about the Rostock shipyard. While Schwerin would like to see converter platforms built there on vacant land, the defense ministry has security concerns about the naval arsenal there./gyd/DP/nas