"Germany now also has a China problem. Similar to Russia with oil and gas, China also has us in the hand on energy issues. Without China, the energy transition that has been initiated in Germany is unlikely to succeed. A new wind farm is currently being built in Albringhausen near Bremen - with rotor blades at a height of almost 250 metres. A wind turbine can supply more than 5,000 single-family homes with sustainable energy. They are the beacons of hope for the energy transition.
"Of course we have some individual parts that we get from China, especially rare earth magnets that we use in the generator," says Christoph Madena, project manager at the energy company Enercon from the East Frisian town of Aurich. Although the rotor blades are manufactured at several production sites, they are sourced from China for the park in Albringhausen.
At the company headquarters in Aurich, where the wind turbines are built, they are also dependent on supplies and parts from China, explains Enercon boss Jürgen Zeschky: "We need magnets for our generators. This way we can build them much smaller and more powerful, with better efficiency."
All imports come from China. According to Zeschky, there is practically no other company on the world market that can supply these magnets with rare earths as the base material. Sweden has just announced that it has found the necessary raw materials in the country, but: "Until something from the deposit to mining, refinery and then really production of magnets works - we are all 10 or 15 years older," says Zeschky.
The company Enercon has many orders, also from abroad. The industry is booming. But it is also struggling with lengthy approval processes or sharply increased material costs. China often offers the best prices for components.
However, the country has stopped the supply of rare earths to Japan for political reasons. If China were to decide tomorrow to stop supplying magnets, Enercon, for example, would have “a huge problem”. At the moment, business simply wouldn't work without China, says company boss Zeschky.
At the moment it's about producing as cheaply as possible - that's why you do business with the country that offers the best prices. It is also important that there are reliable suppliers for the necessary parts even in the event of a crisis."
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