Offshore wind farms are obviously economically attractive for operators. The companies refrain from receiving subsidies from the state. The Federal Network Agency is pleased. Consumers should also benefit from this.
For the first time, the Federal Network Agency will use an auction to determine which companies are allowed to set up a wind farm at sea. The authority announced this on Thursday in Bonn. Four areas for offshore wind farms in the North and Baltic Seas were advertised. The authority reported that several zero-cent bids had been received for all four areas. This means that the companies forego state subsidies from the outset. This requires a so-called dynamic bidding process.
Authority President Klaus Müller called the results of the tender “good news for the energy transition in Germany”. “It is gratifying that companies do not need any funding for the expansion of offshore wind energy. The zero-cent bids make it clear that offshore wind energy is economically attractive,” he said, according to a statement.
An electronic auction is now planned “soon”. “Most of the proceeds go directly to consumers by reducing electricity costs.” This applies to 90 percent of the funds raised. 5 percent each flow into marine conservation and the promotion of environmentally friendly fishing.
Three areas, each with an output of 2000 megawatts, are in the North Sea and one area (1000 megawatts) in the Baltic Sea. Commissioning is scheduled for 2030.
When the tenders were announced at the end of January, Müller emphasized the large volume of these tenders totaling 7 gigawatts and said: “The tenders are an important step towards achieving the offshore expansion target of 30 gigawatts by 2030.” According to the consulting firm Deutsche Windguard, 1,539 offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 8.1 gigawatts were in operation in Germany at the end of 2022.
Source: Stern
