Germany : 30 gigawatts by 2030: BSH publishes area development plan for the expansion of offshore wind energy

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency ( BSH )published the new area development plan for the expansion of offshore wind energy. The plan is an important step towards achieving the expansion target of 30 GW by 2030. In addition, it is already laying the foundation for the expansion target of 40 GW in 2035 to be significantly exceeded by 10 GW .

Federal Minister Robert Habeck : The expansion of offshore wind energy is a mammoth task in itself. I am all the more pleased that we can report successes here so quickly. In addition to the offshore agreement from last November, the BSH area development plan is another part of our master plan to achieve the high goals for the expansion of renewable energies. With the publication, we show that we are serious about planning acceleration and are consistently advancing the expansion of renewable energies. Within a very short time, we are creating reliable framework conditions for ramping up all the necessary capacities. Now it's time to implement it!"

The area development plan is the basis for the offshore expansion. It specifies the specific areas for wind energy in the North and Baltic Seas, the tender years, commissioning and grid connection. By the year 2030, the existing capacity must be almost quadrupled from the current 8 GW to 30 GW and almost 22 GW must be added. This ambitious goal is anchored in the coalition agreement and made legally binding in the amended Wind Offshore Act. The area development plan now makes it possible to implement this goal immediately after the law came into force.

The area development plan implements the acceleration measures adopted in the Wind Energy at Sea Act and anchors the outstanding public interest in offshore wind energy compared to other uses. In order to accelerate the expansion, the service was concentrated on the existing areas and further potential areas were identified. A total capacity of 36.5 GW can be installed on the areas. The plan also stipulates which areas are to be advertised according to the respective tendering process (with and without a preliminary investigation of the areas). A test field for the promotion of research and development in coastal waters has also been defined.

The realization of the network connections was accelerated and further connection systems were defined. Networking with other European countries is becoming increasingly important so that sufficient renewable electricity is always available. The area development plan already lays the foundation for a European offshore power grid in which the individual wind farms can be connected to one another. Results from international working groups such as the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) are taken into account . Among other things, cable routes for connecting the offshore platforms and the connection capacities to be provided on the platforms are specified.

Electricity from offshore wind farms is ideal, among other things, for obtaining hydrogen by electrolysis. In order to test these technologies on an industrial scale on the high seas, the area development plan defines an enlarged area in the North Sea, which can be connected with a hydrogen pipeline. The area enables an electrolysis capacity of up to 1 GW .

Even beyond the year 2030, the area development plan already shows how the expansion of offshore wind energy will continue. The statutory expansion target of 40 GW by 2035 will be exceeded by another 10 GW . In addition, the plan contains an illustration of possible additional areas in the appendix. With this, the further expansion of offshore wind energy is mapped out with further high annual additions and thus investment security is created. It is planned to start the next update process of the area development plan to determine the expansion after 2030 this spring.