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London (AP) - The sale of wind farm rights off the British coast to German companies could multiply the income of the royal family.

The deal announced on Monday brings the royals potentially up to £ 220 million annually over the next ten years - two and a half times their current upkeep.

One of the prerequisites is that the government does not change the amount of the so-called Sovereign Grant, the royalties' share of the profits of their property manager Crown Estate, during the next review.

The money does not belong to the Queen and her family personally, but is used for their livelihood and the preservation of their lands.

Buckingham Palace in London is currently being renovated for hundreds of millions of pounds.

The sovereign grant for this fiscal year is £ 86 million.

It is calculated from the income of the previous year, currently the financial year 2018/19.

Several energy companies, including RWE and EnBW, have secured space for the construction of offshore wind farms against high option fees.

The ocean floor in the twelve mile zone is owned by the royal family and managed by the Crown Estate.

The income goes to the state, but it pays the Crown the Sovereign Grant.

Its level has been 25 percent since 2017 - that would correspond to around £ 220 million of the option fee of £ 879 million annually.

Before it was 15 percent.

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EnBW has teamed up with the British energy giant BP for its project.

BP stressed that the group would avoid paying for the maximum term of ten years.

A final investment decision should be made within four years and electricity should be generated after seven years.

Then the rent due to the Crown Estate would fall to two percent of the wind farm's turnover.

The specific projects still have to be approved, and environmental studies are also pending.

For Great Britain, the total of four projects - two in the Irish Sea and two in the North Sea - represent an important step on the way to green energy.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to supply all households with electricity from offshore wind farms by 2030.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210209-99-359435 / 2

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Communication Crown Estate

"Guardian" report

Government over Sovereign Grant

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RWE announcement

EnBW announcement

BP announcement