The NRW Justice Portal:  Bielefeld and Essen: Renewable Energy

Energy expertise cluster
The area covered by the Hamm Supreme Court has always been home to numerous energy businesses. In recent years, their number has been swelled by a multitude of wind farms, solar parks, biothermal plants and research establishments.  Concentrating the responsibility for cases which involve renewable energy at the courts in Bielefeld und Essen will serve to augment the existing competencies there. Businesses and individuals can enjoy a high quality of justice, also when it comes to these, fairly new, technologies.

Proximity meets specialisation
Given that the renewable-energy sector is set up in a decentralised and small-scale fashion, proximity to clients and the industry has moved to the focus.  Taking this into account nd with a view to combining specialisation and proximity, we have established our new court divisions in both Essen and Bielefeld.  In Essen, we are close to the Ruhr-based utility companies.  By opting for Bielefeld, we are reaching out to rural Eastern Westphalia and the adjoining regions.

Specialised court divisions as a flagship project
When it comes to the law, renewable energy is relatively uncharted territory, and we can expect a great many disputes over how the rules and regulations should be interpreted.  The entire industry is in a state of flux.  Some of the judgments delivered by our speciality courts in Bielefeld und Essen will be used as guidance or precedence with significance beyond the speciality jurisdiction and an impact on the application of law even below the threshold.  As the first such speciality divisions in Germany, they are bound to leave their mark on the legal world well beyond the confines of our state.