Germany plans 40 GW goal for offshore wind by 2040

Germany considers lifting the offshore wind target to 40 GW by 2040, with an interim goal of 20 GW by 2030, under a new version of its offshore wind law.

The legislation, if adopted, will increase the country’s current offshore wind goal of 15 GW by 2030. The new targets were unveiled last week as draft legislation that would amend the Offshore Wind Act WindSeeG and potentially enable the production of green hydrogen, as well.

The draft bill also contains plans for a new, yet unspecified, tendering model for offshore wind projects. Details about that model were not publicly announced, though Germany’s Wind Energy Agency (WAB) alarms that a novel scheme “could considerably slow down” the deployment of offshore wind in the country. The agency and the Association of German Offshore Windfarm Operators (BWO) have been recently advocating for the introduction of the contracts for difference (CfD) mechanism, saying that it could stabilise the investment environment and lower the burden on consumers.

The overall idea of upgrading the offshore wind goal and holding an immediate tender, though, is seen to bring back investment security and give the wind industry “a fresh start,” WAB said. It added that the 2030 goal contains a flexible element, meaning that the capacity may surpass the 20-GW mark.

WAB also called for the adoption of a national hydrogen strategy that goes hand in hand with the ongoing legislative process in the offshore wind sector. “Wind and hydrogen are ideal partners. The hydrogen strategy should focus on building a domestic market for green hydrogen, and on the expansion of electrolysis capacity,” WAB’s managing director Heike Winkler said.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!