Germany Confirms Two Additional Offshore Wind Farm Links

The German Federal Network Agency has added two more offshore wind farm connection systems to the revised Offshore Grid Development Plan (O-NEP) 2030.

Together with the lines confirmed in the previous offshore network development plans, the two new connections, expected between 2026 and 2030, will make up a total of five connections in the Baltic Sea and three in the North Sea.

Besides the confirmation of the network development plans, the Federal Network Agency has also published a revised environmental report, which describes and evaluates the environmental impact of the confirmed grid expansion projects.

Needs assessment and the preparation of the environmental report were preceded by a ten-week public participation, in which the agency received more than 15,000 opinions.

Three O-NEP 2030 scenarios project that the German offshore grid connection system will be expanded by additional 2,300 kilometers of new connections and reach a total transmission capacity of 7.4GW. The investment needed for this upgrade is estimated at around EUR 16 billion.

The O-NEP 2035 scenario projects 3,702 kilometers of new connections and an overall capacity of 11.4GW, with the investment reaching EUR 22 billion.

In September, a group of economic and energy ministers and senators of five northern German states, together with representatives of the coastal cities and the industry, signed the Cuxhaven Appeal 2.0, calling for an expansion goal of at least 20GW in the North and Baltic Seas by 2030, and at least 30GW by 2035.