Press Release:
North Sea Summit in Hamburg: BWO welcomes greater stability and investment security for offshore wind.
Berlin, January 26, 2026. At the North Sea Summit in Hamburg on January 26, the governments of the North Sea coastal states, together with the offshore wind industry and transmission system operators, agreed on key steps for the further expansion of offshore wind energy in Europe. The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) expressly welcomes the decisions and calls for stable expansion pathways, investment-friendly tendering frameworks, and significantly stronger European cooperation. The BWO, together with WindEurope, is signing the Offshore Wind Industry Declaration, thereby supporting the long-term expansion path of 300 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity in Europe.
North Sea summit sends strong signal for offshore wind
With the Offshore Wind Investment Pact for the North Sea, agreed at the summit, governments commit to tendering 15 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power annually between 2031 and 2040. The tenders are to be conducted within an optimized and risk-reduced framework. At least ten GW per year are to be secured through indexed, bilateral Contracts for Difference (CfDs) to ensure market predictability and investment security.
The BWO considers these commitments crucial for the expansion of offshore wind energy. Reliable volumes and a stable auction framework are, in the association's view, prerequisites for triggering investments in projects, supply chains, ports, vessels, and skilled workers.
"The North Sea Summit in Hamburg marks a milestone for offshore wind energy in Europe," he says. Hans Sohn, Head of Policy and Communications at the BWO. “European states are moving closer together in the North Sea and intensifying their cooperation – this is a very positive sign. It is becoming clear that offshore wind, as a key pillar of energy supply, supports a resilient Europe. The political commitments to clear expansion pathways and reliable tenders create the urgently needed planning certainty and form the basis for investments, lower costs, and a strong European offshore wind industry.”
Offshore Wind Industry Declaration: Industry Takes Responsibility
At the summit, the BWO, together with WindEurope and numerous other companies along the value chain, signed the Offshore Wind Industry Declaration. In it, the industry committed itself to an ambitious expansion of offshore wind energy as a central pillar for energy security, competitiveness, and climate protection in Europe.
In return for political commitments, the industry has pledged to reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for offshore wind projects by 30 percent in real terms by 2040 compared to the level of investment decisions made in 2025. Furthermore, the industry intends to make significant investments in production capacity, infrastructure, and training, thereby securing added value and jobs in Europe.
Furthermore, in Germany, a revision of the current auction design towards bilateral contracts for difference will lead to lower financing costs and thus lower electricity prices. "We are committed to ensuring that no further auctions take place under the existing rules. The auction of land planned by the federal government for June 2026, which no one wanted in August 2025, should be postponed and held with a new tender design," he said. Hans Sohn"Great Britain serves as a model here, where a large auction based on bilateral contracts for difference has just taken place very successfully."
Industrial policy and the protection of critical infrastructure should be considered together.
The security of critical energy infrastructure is a central theme of the North Sea Summit. Offshore wind farms are part of this critical infrastructure. From the perspective of the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation (BWO), maritime security is not an external requirement, but a fundamental prerequisite for stable, economically viable, and resilient operation. Security, economic viability, and security of supply are inextricably linked.
At the same time, security policy expectations clash with long-term investment and operational realities. Offshore wind projects are based on fixed permitting frameworks and clearly calculated cost structures, while security-related requirements are dynamic and raise questions of responsibilities, costs, and liability. The BWO therefore advocates for an early, structured dialogue between operators, authorities, and security stakeholders. The goal is a security-by-design approach that strengthens public safety interests while simultaneously ensuring investment and planning security.
Irina Lucke, Chairwoman of the Board of the BWO and participant in the Security Table at the North Sea Summit, emphasizes: “The BWO is perceived by security authorities as a central point of contact – and rightly so. Operators of offshore wind farms bear responsibility for critical infrastructure over project durations of 25 years and more and share the goal of a safe maritime environment. We are ready to contribute our existing capabilities. However, dialogue is absolutely essential to achieve clear objectives, reliable responsibilities, and a technically and economically sustainable implementation.”
Study proves advantages of cross-border offshore planning
A key concern of the BWO – also with a view to the North Sea Summit – is significantly improved cross-border cooperation in the expansion of renewable energy. The advantages of such cooperation are demonstrated in a recent study by the Fraunhofer IWES, commissioned by the BWO and BDEW.
The study, based on various scenarios for Germany's offshore wind expansion to 70 GW, demonstrates that cross-border land-use cooperation can lead to less dense development, significantly reducing shading effects. This can increase energy yields by up to 13 percent, while lowering electricity generation costs by up to 11 percent.
From the BWO's point of view, these results underline that European cooperation is not only sensible from an energy policy perspective, but also essential from an economic perspective.
About the BWO
The Federal Association for Offshore Wind Energy (BWO) is the political lobby for the offshore wind industry in Germany. We pool the technical expertise of companies along the entire value chain, from manufacturers to developers and operators to offshore wind energy service providers. For politicians and authorities at federal and state level, the BWO is the central contact for all questions relating to offshore wind energy.