Network operator TenneT proposes to fasten offshore grid expansion

The higher renewable targets of Germany’s government will require a faster expansion of the power grid, Tim Meyerjürgens, COO of transmission grid operator TenneT, has told Energate. Connecting the envisaged 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 would be possible under certain conditions, he said. "It's all going to be very tight, we might be one GW short by the deadline,” he added. Meyerjürgens proposes to reach the grid planning target for 2035 five years earlier to accommodate higher offshore wind capacity. It would be possible – with the right framework conditions – that transmission system operators could even exceed the government’s target from 2032 onwards and achieve the target of 40 GW offshore capacity well before 2035, he said. Making planning procedures faster and more efficient as well as an integrated planning of the future grid system, including hydrogen production, is of the essence, Meyerjürgens stressed. "For us, it is crucial where electrolysers are built," he said. Locations "where we bring electricity from sea to land" are particularly suitable, he said, calling for incentives for grid-friendly locations of electrolysers.

As part of its so-called Easter package, the economy and climate ministry (BMWK) proposes to up renewable capacity targets significantly to reach a share of 80 percent renewables in the power sector by 2030 and 100 percent in 2035.