Overview
- 50Hertz chief Stefan Kapferer warned of a real risk that grid firms invest billions in offshore links before wind farms are built, with potential costs landing on customers.
- Economics Minister Katherina Reiche announced in September that the state will scale back renewables spending and slow offshore expansion, citing an energy monitoring forecast of 600–700 TWh electricity demand in 2030.
- Germany added about 2.2 GW of new wind capacity in the first half of 2025, leading the EU, with onshore installations up 67 percent year over year and nearing the 2017 peak pace.
- Offshore industry group BWO called for a reform of investment rules and fair conditions, while experts emphasize coupling renewables growth with grid build-out and H2‑ready flexible power plants.
- Regional trends diverge, with North Rhine-Westphalia’s goal of 1,000 new turbines by end‑2027 viewed as achievable, as Hessen leaves roughly 3,600 hectares of state forest priority areas idle without new tenders since February 2024.