German onshore wind tender surpasses 1,000 megawatt mark for first time since 2017
Clean Energy Wire
Germany’s latest onshore wind tender has resulted in 240 new planned wind turbines with a combined capacity of 1,110 megawatt (MW), just under the total offered volume of 1,243 MW, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) reported. The regulator accepted 127 bids for the tender, which was reduced in volume from its initial 1,500 MW target due to the likelihood that it would be undersubscribed. From a regional perspective, the largest volume of awarded capacity went to locations in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, with 37 winning bids and 295 MW; Lower Saxony (23 bids, 263 MW), Brandenburg (14 bids, 123 MW) and North Rhine-Westphalia (19 bids, 122 MW). Prices of accepted bids ranged from 5.68 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 6 cents/kWh. The volume-weighted average bid value of 5.91 cents/kWh was below that of the previous round of 6 cents/kWh.
The German Wind Energy Association (BWE) welcomed the high uptake rate. “For the first time since 2017, more than 1,000 MW were awarded. That is an important signal,” said BWE President Hermann Albers, adding that the nearly complete procurement of tendered capacity showed “how much the industry cares about new projects”. Albers nevertheless called for stronger support from federal and state governments to ensure that tender volumes are reached. “The focus is not only on the next announcement on 1 September, but also on the coming year,” he added. Additional capacity will be tendered and must be urgently awarded in order to achieve climate and energy transition targets, Albers stressed.
