Press Release:
Offshore wind energy expansion 2025:
Offshore wind industry sees urgent need for political action
- Adapt WindSeeG quickly for project implementation and higher cost efficiency
- Expansion delayed – August tender failed
- Demolition of the extension must be avoided.
- European cooperation can provide additional impetus.
Berlin, Bremerhaven, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Rostock, January 27, 2026 – The industry associations of the German offshore wind industry and the non-profit OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY Foundation today published the installation figures for 2025. The figures, compiled by the consulting firm Deutsche WindGuard, show that 41 new offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 518 MW were connected to the grid in Germany during this period. By the end of the year, 65 foundations had been installed. 19 turbines with a combined capacity of 278 MW were erected but had not yet fed any electricity into the grid. In total, 1.680 turbines with a capacity of 9.740 megawatts were installed in Germany at the end of 2025.
Delays in connecting the plants to the grid, as well as the lack of bids in the August 2025 tender round, mean that the expansion target of 30 GW by 2030 will not be met. Current forecasts predict that around 20 GW of offshore wind energy capacity will be connected to the grid in 2030. The current challenges jeopardize investments in both already awarded and future projects, thus hindering the progress of an economically efficient offshore wind expansion. The 30 GW target will not be achievable until 2032 at the earliest. This requires a tender design that safeguards investment and predictable framework conditions for the industry that prioritize project implementation.
Political action is urgently needed.
“Fifteen years after Alpha Ventus, the first German offshore wind energy project, went online, the industry sees an urgent need for political action following a year of sluggish expansion and a failed tender round in August 2025. The German government is now called upon to fundamentally and swiftly reform the future tendering system in cooperation with the industry. Instead of maximizing state revenue, the focus must be on project realization for a secure and cost-efficient energy supply. A genuine fresh start is needed now; otherwise, there is a risk of losing European and German added value and failing to achieve the necessary expansion for future electricity supply. The example of Great Britain shows how short-term adjustments can lead to a rapid improvement in the framework conditions and successful tenders with a high probability of project realization,” commented the
Tender design needs reform
The German government plans to put the areas not awarded contracts in August 2025 back into the tender process in June of this year. This round is expected to fail again unless necessary adjustments are discussed as quickly as possible and implemented for the 2026 tenders. If necessary, deadlines must be slightly adjusted to ensure that awarded contracts translate into actual contracts and projects.
To avoid another round of zero bids, a new tender design must end negative bidding. Instead, the industry is calling for a revenue model that better guarantees both project realization and investment security within a harmonized European market framework. This could involve, for example, abolishing the uncapped bid component, introducing bilateral Contracts for Difference (CfDs), which have been successfully implemented in the United Kingdom, and securing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to reduce implementation risks, lower financing costs, and safeguard the expansion path. At the same time, sanctions, guarantees, and penalties must be adjusted to prevent option-based bidding and project cancellations.
“Industry associations and organizations have been criticizing the tender design for years and urging comprehensive changes. The failure of the tender in August 2025 underscores the validity of this criticism, as well as the urgent need for reform. The necessary amendments to the Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG) must no longer be postponed, but must finally address the urgency of the challenges. A better focus on yield is also needed in spatial planning, for example, through the reduction of shadowing effects. The decisive factor is not the number of new installations or the installed capacity, but the most cost-efficient energy yield. With offshore wind energy, it is also essential to keep the overall system costs in mind and not just the grid costs,” the organizations stated. Necessary adjustments must be discussed as quickly as possible and implemented for the 2026 tenders. To implement corresponding changes to the tender rules, postponing the tenders to the fourth quarter of 2026 is conceivable.
Strengthening European cooperation for greater security and fair competition
The industry is also calling for intensified European cooperation. “The governments of the European states bordering the North and Baltic Seas should coordinate more closely regarding development pathways, land-use planning, and their objectives to ensure a smooth market ramp-up and investment security. Germany and Denmark, in particular, should cooperate closely on cross-border land use. Furthermore, effective instruments are needed at the European level to protect against market distortions caused by unfair pricing practices from state-subsidized players. A level playing field is essential.”
The European cooperation initiated by the North Sea Summit to promote market ramp-up and investment security sends a strong signal to the industry. Now it is crucial to implement these plans and thus create a stable and reliable framework for the industry.
Protection of national security interests
Offshore wind farms, as decentralized and digitally networked infrastructure, are a central component of the energy system. In times of increasing geopolitical tensions, the political and regulatory framework must effectively address the comprehensive security and resilience of the energy system, including all grid-connected energy facilities, in order to minimize existing risks and guarantee security of supply and national security. This concerns both the physical and digital security of the facilities, for example, access to critical systems by operators, service providers, and manufacturers. The protection of national security interests is explicitly at stake.
Seaports form the backbone of offshore wind energy.
Without sufficient port capacity and efficient infrastructure, the expansion targets cannot be achieved. This requires significantly greater financial participation from the federal government. The special infrastructure fund offers the opportunity to consistently fulfill this responsibility.
Among the clients of the half-yearly expansion statistics for offshore wind energy:
About the Federal Wind Energy Association (BWE)
The Federal Wind Energy Association (BWE) is a partner of over 3.000 companies in the wind energy industry and represents the interests of its around 17.000 members. The BWE thus concentrates the entire know-how of the diverse industry.
About the Federal Association of Offshore Wind Energy eV (BWO)
The purpose of the BWO is to represent the political interests of the offshore wind industry in Germany. The BWO is the central contact for politicians and authorities at federal and state level on all questions relating to offshore wind energy.
About the OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY foundation
The non-profit foundation OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE has been a non-partisan, supra-regional and cross-sector think tank for the development of offshore wind energy in Germany and Europe since 2005. It is a communication platform for actors from politics, business and research, serves to exchange knowledge and sees itself as a source of ideas and multiplier.
About VDMA Power Systems
VDMA Power Systems is the association for energy plant engineering. It represents the interests of manufacturers and suppliers of power and heat generation plants both domestically and internationally. This includes wind energy, photovoltaic and hydropower plants, engines and thermal power plants, as well as storage and sector coupling technologies.
About WAB eV
WAB is the nationwide contact point for the offshore wind industry, the onshore network in Northwest Germany, and promotes the production of green hydrogen from wind power. The association comprises around 250 small and large companies and institutes from all sectors of the wind industry, the maritime industry, the emerging hydrogen economy, and research.
About WindEnergy Network eV (WEN)
WEN is the leading business network for wind energy in the Northeast region, with approximately 100 member companies. Its goal is to expand the industrial base and regional value creation in the future-oriented renewable energy sector. Key areas of focus include onshore and offshore wind energy, maritime technologies in conjunction with offshore wind energy, and the development of green hydrogen.