Press releases

The industry associations of the German offshore wind industry and the non-profit foundation OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE today published the expansion figures for the first half of 2024. The figures, which were prepared by the consultancy firm Deutsche WindGuard, show that a total of 36 turbines with a capacity of 377 megawatts (MW) were connected to the grid for the first time in Germany during this period, and 73 further foundations were installed. In total, 29 offshore wind projects with an installed capacity of 8,858 MW and 1,602 turbines are currently in operation in Germany. Two further projects are under construction.

The industry associations of the German offshore wind industry and the non-profit OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE foundation today presented the expansion figures for the full year 2023. The figures prepared by the consulting company Deutsche WindGuard show that a total of 27 turbines with a capacity of 257 megawatts (MW) fed into the electricity grid for the first time in Germany in 2023 and 74 new foundations were installed. In total, 29 offshore wind projects with an installed capacity of 8,465 MW or 1,566 turbines are currently in operation in Germany. Three further projects are under construction. Two of these, with a planned total capacity of 718 MW, are due to be commissioned this year.

The trade associations of the German offshore wind industry and the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation today presented the expansion figures for the first half of 2023. According to the figures prepared by the consulting firm Deutsche WindGuard, 24 offshore wind turbines with a capacity of 229 megawatts (MW) were newly connected to the grid in Germany in the first six months of the year. This means that a total of 1,563 offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 8,385 MW are now in operation in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea. The Arcadis Ost 1 project currently under construction continues to make progress and will in all likelihood be commissioned before the end of the year.

With a joint press release with the Federal Association of Wind Farm Operators Offshore e. V. (BWO), the German Wind Energy Association e. V. (BWE), VDMA Power Systems and WAB e. V., the Foundation OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE published the semi-annual status report on the expansion of offshore wind energy in Germany on July 12, 2022.

- Expansion targets of at least 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, 40 GW by 2035 and 70 GW by 2045 offer long-term prospects for offshore wind energy and the supply industry

- In the first half of 2022, the first foundations were installed in the offshore wind energy projects Kaskasi and Arcadis East, but no wind turbines have been installed yet

- New Wind Energy at Sea Act threatens to further increase costs and thus jeopardise the achievement of the new expansion targets

- German offshore wind energy sector urgently needs industrial policy support and qualified personnel

On March 23, 2022, William Beuckelaers, managing director of OffshoreWind4Kids, DNV, Northland Power Europe (NPE), the Competence Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CC4E) at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) and the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation signed an agreement in Hamburg on a cooperation with OffshoreWind4Kids within the framework of “German Chapter for OffshoreWind4Kids”.

The German Foundation for OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY and its partners BWE, BWO, VDMA and WAB e. V. presented the annual status report of offshore wind energy development in Germany. As expecetd, no new installations of offshore wind energy took place in 2021. In total, 1,501 turbines with a capacity of 7,794 MW are connected to the grid. This is in strong contrast to the climate ambitions of the new German government. In order to achieve the new short-term target of 30 GW offshore capacity by 2030, to fully exploit Germany's innovation potential, and to maintain and expand employment and the Germany's value chain, acceleration and stabilization of expansion is now essential.

Berlin/Bremerhaven/Frankfurt, 15 July 2021 – For the first time in more than ten years, there will be no expansion of offshore wind energy in Germany this year. This expansion gap is not the expression of a lack of interest on the part of investors or a lack of strength on the part of the industry, but a consequence of political decisions, the effects of which are now becoming visible for the offshore wind industry in Germany. This development can only be counteracted by raising the expansion targets for offshore wind energy, retaining skilled workers, and concretising expansion plans for green hydrogen.

The German Foundation OFFSHORE WINDENERGY and its cooperation partner the World Forum offshore Wind (WFO) launched a project at the beginning of January funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to provide export support for German companies in the offshore wind energy sector.

Today, the German Foundation OFFSHORE WINDENERGY received the funding decision from the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy, Construction and Climate Protection for the project "Green Hydrogen and Offshore Wind Energy" at a virtual handover. In the future, this project will be dedicated to the implementation of the North German and National Hydrogen Strategy and thus promote the development of a domestic hydrogen economy.