The German Federal Network Agency today announced the winners of a tender for 5.5 GW of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea. The energy group RWE AG (ETR:RWE) won the contract for two sites with a combined capacity of 4 GW.
A total of five offers were submitted for the three previously studied sites, located approximately 110 km northwest of the island of Borkum, near the border of the Dutch exclusive economic zone: one offer for zone N-9.1 and two for zones N-9.2 and N-9.3.
RWE was selected for zones N-9.1 and N-9.2, with a capacity of 2 GW each. The two wind farms are expected to be operational in 2030 and 2031 respectively. The third site, with a capacity of 1.5 GW, has been awarded to Waterekke Energy GmbH, a company linked to Luxcara, headquartered in Hamburg. This wind farm should be commissioned in 2029.
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The three sites were the subject of a preliminary study by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), which notably collected data on the marine environment, subsoil conditions and wind and oceanographic parameters. The winners of the calls for tender will not have to carry out these studies.
In addition to willingness to pay for the area concerned, the selection process included criteria such as decarbonization of the offshore expansion and the use of environmentally friendly foundation technologies.
Unlike this year’s first offshore wind tender, the total amount of the tender has not been revealed. The winners of the tender are entitled to a planning approval procedure for the construction and operation of wind turbines, as well as a connection right and grid connection capacity.
The German offshore wind association BWO congratulated the winners and welcomed the award of an additional 5.5 GW of offshore wind capacity. However, its managing director, Stefan Thimm, criticized the Federal Network Agency for the lack of transparency in the tender.
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“I regret that the Federal Network Agency has decided not to publish the total amount of the tender. I would have liked more transparency. It is important to understand to what extent offshore wind energy contributes to solve societal problems such as the extension of networks or the protection of the marine environment,” said Mr. Thimm.
“The fact that only five offers have been submitted for the three announced zones is, in my opinion, a warning signal. The layout of the zones intended for offshore wind guarantees very few full load hours in this “This deprives this technology of its great strength and makes it less attractive to investors,” added Mr. Thimm.