The German government, cities and coastal states have signed an agreement with transmission system operators (TSOs) to ensure 30 GW of offshore wind capacity is connected by 2030
The agreement with TSOs TenneT, Amprion and 50Hertz was signed by the federal government, the cities of Bremen and Hamburg and the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. It commits them to working together and ‘closely coordinating’ their efforts in order to reach the 30 GW goal.
The TSOs will define a ‘common understanding’ with regard to designating areas for transmission projects, and a common approach to environmental issues associated with building more transmission capacity.
TenneT chief operating officer Tim Meyerjürgens said, “Planning, approval and construction of the infrastructure for the development of 30 GW of offshore wind will be challenging for TSOs and the approval process required by federal and state governments. In order for us to achieve these ambitious goals, we must pull together
“We welcome this agreement and will support the process to the best of our ability, for example through common technical standards, the development of onshore and offshore hubs for meshed grids and sector coupling.”
50Hertz technical director Frank Golletz said, “We will use all of our expertise and know-how to help develop the potential of offshore wind. In order to achieve ambitious expansion targets, we will need to network even more closely in the future – both technologically in the form of meshed offshore networks and internationally, with partners across national borders.
“The Kriegers Flak combined grid solution between Germany and Denmark, which has been in operation since 2021, provides a blueprint for what cross-border networked offshore connections could look like. The Bornholm Energy Island project by 50Hertz and energinet will be a further milestone.”
