Germany’s ‘Traffic Light’ Coalition Raises Offshore Wind Targets, Looks Beyond 2040

Germany’s ‘traffic light’ coalition of political parties looking to form the country’s new government has agreed to increase offshore wind capacity targets for 2030, and introduce new targets for 2035 and 2045.

As part of the recently agreed coalition agreement, the political parties SPD, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN, and FREIE DEMOKRATEN (FDP) have increased Germany’s offshore wind capacity targets to at least 30 GW by 2030, 40 GW by 2035, and 70 GW by 2045.

The coalition also said that offshore wind projects will take precedence over other forms of use in German Exclusive Economic Zones.

Germany’s current targets currently stand at 20 GW by 2030 and 30 GW by 2040.

Germany currently has 7,770 MW of installed offshore wind capacity and is currently the third in the world behind the UK and China. In 2020, the country added 219 MW of offshore wind capacity.

In 2021, the country will not install a single offshore wind turbine for an entire year for the first time in more than ten years.

”The agreement on at least 30GW of offshore wind until 2030 in German waters, followed by 40GW until 2035 and 70GW until 2045 is an important signal for the offshore wind supply chain and for the feasibility of a “green” hydrogen economy. To achieve this, it is important to launch additional tenders without delay,” WAB e.V. Managing Director Heike Winkler said.

”It is also good that the planned federal government links its target of 80 percent renewables by 2030 with the forecast of a higher electricity demand. It should assume that the demand from industry in connection with ‘green’ hydrogen will continue to rise.”