The outdated German Autobahn now causes a completely different climate problem

Do climate activists actually want to invest in the Autobahn?

The German Autobahn has been a thorn in the side of the green parties for years. The 'Valhalla for speed riders' (which in reality is one big Baustelle) would only be bad for the climate. And yet these parties have a good reason to pump some money into the road network. The condition of German highways is currently holding back sustainability, Bloomberg reports.

Earlier this year, a transport company had to transport the large and heavy parts of a wind turbine from the port in Bremen to northern Germany. Normally the ride would take three hours, but the parts ride ended up taking three nights. They will never believe that at home either. The trucks had to take detours with the enormous loads and maneuver through tight spaces.

The wind turbines are not allowed to cross the bridge

The parts of wind turbines can weigh up to 80 tons and be as long as 35 meters. And not all roads and bridges of the outdated Autobahn can still handle such loads. For example, the trucks carrying the wind turbines have to take large detours. And that's quite a thing if you have to do 60,000 of these rides for a few years.

Germany wants to build six new wind turbines every day if they want to achieve the climate goals, and that will not happen this way. A spokesperson for wind turbine farmer Enercon says: 'If the delays continue, we run the risk that the energy transition will be stalled.' The company already had seventy late deliveries this year. A delay costs 10,000 euros per day per part.

The German government is going to invest in the Autobahn

The government in Germany has promised to invest 12.8 billion euros in Germany's road network. And that's next year alone. According to another wind turbine manufacturer, it would make a difference if Germany were to process permit applications a little faster. Enercon gives the Netherlands as an example: there you apply for a permit digitally and receive permission within four days. And so the Dutch highway is a bit faster than the German Autobahn.

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