Associations representing the German offshore wind energy industry have called for a rapid increase in capacity expansion targets for offshore wind, including a ‘special tender’ of at least 1.5 GW in Q1 2019.
Leading industry associations including the BWE, BWO, Stiftung Offshore-Windenergie, VDMA Power Systems and WAB have issued an update on developing offshore wind power in Germany and said their core message is that 2019 must be a year of progress in energy policy.
They want the German Government to commit to a 1.5-GW tender for offshore wind in the short term and agree a target of at least 20 GW by 2030.
“Political conditions are slowing down the development of offshore wind energy in Germany,” they said. “According to the coalition agreement, 65% of German power production is to be generated from renewable energy sources by 2030, but this cannot be achieved with the currently planned expansion.”
“In order to contribute to achieving this goal, the offshore wind industry needs to expand to at least 20 GW by 2030 and at least 30 GW by 2035,” they said.
The associations said an Omnibus Energy Act passed in December 2018 did not contain a special contribution for offshore wind energy as originally planned by the coalition agreement.
They noted that the partners in the coalition, the SPD and CDU/CSU have commissioned the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency to prepare a scenario framework for offshore windfarms in the 15 to 20 GW range, but said concrete policy measures are needed.
“The opportunity to launch a special contribution for offshore wind of at least 1.5 GW must be seized,” they said, noting that offshore wind urgently needs the government to identify a location where new technology can be tested. “There must be no further delay,” they concluded.
According to the latest figures published by Deutsche WindGuard, 1,305 offshore wind turbines with a total output of 6.382 GW fed into the grid in 2018. In this period, 136 new turbines with an output of 969 MW were connected to the grid. In addition, 276 MW were installed but have not yet fed into the grid. A total of 966 MW is currently under construction. A final investment decision has been made for another 112 MW.
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