"The responsible transmission system operator recently warned that there will be delays in several offshore grid connection systems in the German North Sea. This is another indication of how seriously all parties should take the current challenges in the offshore wind supply chain. Now two grid connection systems with a total capacity of 4 gigawatts are already missing the deadline for the legal target of at least 30 gigawatts by 2030. This sends a signal of uncertainty to the value chain," says BWO Managing Director Stephen Thimm.  

"There are other limiting factors in the expansion of offshore wind energy that can only be resolved politically. The expansion and upgrading of German seaports is particularly urgent. Here, the federal government failed to provide clarity early on in the financing of expansion projects. It should not wait until a needs study commissioned by it next spring underlines the need for expansion. The shortage of suitable areas is well known. So are obvious expansion projects. They must be pushed forward immediately and with vigor."

Hintergrund: 

The transmission system operator Amprion has announced that, among other things, the 2 GW grid connection system BalWin2 will not be completed until 2031 instead of 2030. This one-year delay has not yet been taken into account in the latest draft area development plan from the beginning of June. It was already announced in January that BalWin3 would be postponed to 2031 (Link to PM from January 26) Amprion rightly points out that in order to achieve the expansion targets, additional capacity must be built up on the market. To support this, it would be a good idea to use part of the revenue from offshore wind auctions.