Germany’s Offshore Wind Slump to Challenge 2030 Target, Report Says

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Germany’s expansion of offshore wind power is expected to slow this year, challenging its goal to more than triple capacity by the end of the decade, a new industry report said.

Europe’s industrial powerhouse is increasingly focusing on clean energy from the sea as it struggles to replace Russian pipeline gas and phase out nuclear power by mid-April. The country aims to have installed at least 30 gigawatts of offshore capacity by 2030 and at least 70 gigawatts by 2045 — when Germany wants to be carbon neutral — according to new legislation that came in force this month.

However, only 8.1 gigawatts are currently installed, according to a joint report published by several industry associations on Monday, making those green goals difficult to reach. In 2022, only one offshore project with a capacity of 342 megawatts went online, and this year only 247 megawatts are expected to be added.

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Offshore Wind Slump | Germany is struggling to reach its 2030 goal of 30 gigawatts

A more significant expansion isn’t expected before 2025, when 1.8 gigawatts are planned to be installed, according to the report. That means the country will have to speed up planning dramatically to build around 20 gigawatts in around five years.

“Together with politicians, we must immediately create a realistic basis for the implementation of the expansion targets in the field of offshore wind energy for electricity and green hydrogen,” the six offshore-related associations said in a statement.