Federal government promotes expansion of wind energy on the high seas
Berlin The federal government is paving the way for the nationwide expansion of wind energy in the North and Baltic Seas. The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) published new areas for wind farms on Friday. This is intended to achieve the goal of installing at least 30 gigawatts of capacity on the oceans by 2030. This would mean that almost 15 percent of German electricity consumption would then be supplied by offshore power plants alone. The plan also lays the foundation for exceeding the target of 40 gigawatts of capacity by 10 gigawatts by 2035.
There are currently 1,500 wind turbines in the North and Baltic Seas with a good 8 gigawatts. This year alone, however, projects of the same size are to be tendered for construction again. Most will continue to be built in the North Sea in the future.
Basis for European offshore power grid
“The expansion of offshore wind energy is a mammoth task in itself. I am all the more pleased that we can report success here so quickly,” said Economics Minister Robert Habeck. The area development plan specifies the specific areas for wind energy in the North and Baltic Seas, the tender years, commissioning and grid connection. It is also the basis for a European offshore power grid in which the individual wind farms can be connected to one another.
The expansion should also ensure that Germany will be able to obtain 80 percent of its electricity from renewable energies by 2030. The plan also takes into account that one gigawatt of capacity will be reserved for the direct production of green hydrogen.
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Since the wind blows stronger and more regularly on the high seas, the wind farms supply more electricity than those on land. This also makes the projects particularly attractive for business. While tenders for onshore wind or solar parks are awarded to those who demand the lowest subsidies, this has now turned around in the case of offshore areas: in the past, corporations asked for practically no state funds beyond the grid connection to wind parks to build on the high seas.
In the case of sea areas that have already been pre-examined, the contract should now be awarded to those who pay the most for the building rights. The funds are then used to reduce network costs and for the environmental Protection planned on the seas.
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