Germany takes key step towards offshore wind targets with development plan - ministry

A new area development plan for the expansion of offshore wind energy is a key step in helping Germany come closer to its target of installing at least 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, the economy and climate protection ministry (BMWK) has said. Published by the Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the area development plan lays the foundation for the country to reach its offshore wind energy expansion targets by the end of the decade and beyond. “The expansion of offshore wind energy is a mammoth task in itself,” economy minister Robert Habeck said. “With this publication, we are showing that we are serious about accelerating planning and consistently advancing the expansion of renewable energies.” With a total capacity of just over 8 gigawatts (GW) installed by the end of 2022, building another 22 GW by 2030 is going to be a great challenge that needs to begin to take shape soon, industry groups BWE, BWO and VDMA have said.

The area development plan defines specific areas for wind energy in the North and Baltic seas – with a total capacity of 36.5 GW – the tendering years, commissioning, and the grid connections. It also lays the foundation for a European offshore electricity grid to enable the interconnection between countries. In addition, it defines an area to produce green hydrogen offshore (for a total capacity of 1 GW). Germany aims to reach 40 GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2035 and 70 GW by 2045. Environmental groups have warned that a massive buildout of offshore wind in the North Sea, both in Germany and all other countries in the region, would put sensitive ecosystems in the already highly industrialised area under even more pressure.