Overview
- Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche said on Tuesday that the government will allow a conditioned, orderly return-and-reauction for offshore projects that prove economically unviable and acknowledged that past auctions had “essential flaws.”
- The minister named rising financing costs, higher turbine and installation prices, supply‑chain bottlenecks and delays in offshore-to-shore grid connections as key reasons many 2023–24 awards for roughly 16 gigawatts are now stalled.
- Eight state minister-presidents warned of a possible “Fadenriss” and warned that stalled projects could put about 23,000 of some 49,000 offshore jobs at risk over four years and cause roughly €24 billion in lost revenue.
- Major developers including BP and TotalEnergies have signalled withdrawal from awarded sites, and industry groups BWO and BDEW have pushed for a one-time, legally secure return option followed by rapid re-tendering under viable conditions.
- Key details remain unresolved in the Windenergie-auf-See reform: the timing of re-auctions, guaranteed grid planning and specific liability and compensation rules, so the sector risk persists until the legislative process delivers concrete rules.