Air traffic controllers have been told to make space for wind farms as Germany leaves no stone unturned in its search for clean energy supplies.
Empty land that was kept clear to avoid interference with radio beacons could be released to developers under proposals announced on Monday.
Air traffic agencies will have to adapt by upgrading their beacons and accepting a higher margin of error when they calculate a plane’s position.
Their objections to new wind parks could be ignored as long as a seven-kilometre radius is left — down from 15km.
Wind turbines have long competed for space with radio beacons but the energy industry’s need is deemed greater at present as Europe looks for sources of clean fuel.
Germany is striving to offset Russian gas cuts and be free of Russian fossil fuels by 2024, while meeting clean energy goals to make Europe’s biggest economy carbon-neutral by 2045.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck, the most senior Green party figure in the government, said air navigation would still be safe but that getting planning permission for wind turbines would become significantly easier.
Boundaries are drawn around radar beacons because of concerns that wind parks will cause interference and throw navigation into confusion.
The height of turbines, typically about 80 to 100 metres on land, means they must be kept well clear of runways to avoid obstructing a flight path.
As well as air traffic, questions have been raised about the impact of wind turbines on ship navigation and weather radar systems.
But officials in Germany said the acceptable margin of error in navigation could double in some places because of recent technological progress.
“On the basis of the latest scientific findings, we have made it possible in a very short time to reduce the safe distances between wind turbines and air navigation,” Transport Minister Volker Wissing said.
“This will lead to a quicker expansion of wind power generation. We have now removed a significant obstacle in this process.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government has a target of using two per cent of Germany’s total surface area for wind power.
The target was agreed in a coalition deal last year along with a rule that solar panels should be installed on every suitable new roof.
Since then, the energy standoff with Moscow has made Europe’s need for alternative supplies more acute than ever as Russia reduces gas exports.
Germany has prolonged the life of some of its old coal plants but has so far resisted pressure to keep using nuclear power beyond a December deadline.
Using more renewables is one strand of a four-part strategy by the European Union to end its reliance on Russia, along with buying gas from elsewhere, reducing wasteful consumption and increasing mutual interconnections.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
