Dates for grid connections in 2026 will also face slight delays, the agency added. This puts Germany’s offshore wind targets in danger, according to German offshore wind association the BWO, which called for a review of the BSH’s findings and – if confirmed – action to ensure industry certainty.
In a letter to electricity network regulator the Bundesnetzagentur, the BSH said that completion dates for the 2GW offshore grid NOR-9-1, being implemented by Amprion, and 2GW NOR-9-2, developed by Tennet, will be pushed back by one and two years respectively, to 2030 and 2031.
Tennet’s 1.5GW NOR 11-2 grid connection is now expected to be ready in Q4 2031 – one quarter later than planned. All three offshore grids are for wind projects being issued to tender this year.
Another 500MW grid connection system, for 2026 tender projects, is also facing a three-month delay and will now be completed in the final quarter of 2031.
BWO managing director Stefan Thimm said it was essential to analyse these warnings. “Should this situation be confirmed or even worsen, it will call into question the legally agreed expansion goals and send a signal of uncertainty into the value chain,” he said.
Thimm pointed to well-known bottlenecks in production capacities, ports, ships and skilled workers. “We can and must counter these limiting factors with industrial policy measures,” he said.
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