The German government initiates a 4 GW onshore wind tender

Germany's Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) has launched the second round of the onshore wind auction this year, offering 4,093 MW -- significantly more than the initially planned 2,500 MW.

The additional volume comes from the rounds in the previous year which allocated less capacity than targeted.

The deadline for submitting proposals is May 1 but since it is a public holiday, bids will be accepted until May 2, the Federal Network Agency said.

The maximum value for projects competing in the auction is EUR 0.0735 (USD 0.080) per kWh.

With this tender, the volume for the next four rounds increases to 4,093 MW each.

Commenting on the announcement, Baerbel Heidebroek, President of the German Wind Energy Association, said: "BNetzA has now provided clarity on the volumes of the next four onshore wind energy tenders. This makes it clear that almost 15,000 MW will be put out to tender this year. This should provide a strong motivation for the industry to continue to seek new approvals at high speed. After the peak of 7,500 MW last year, we see a strong upward trend in the first quarter of the current year. This must now be consolidated and expanded across all federal states."

“This year, according to figures from the onshore wind energy agency, turbines with a combined capacity of more than 1,200 MW have been newly approved. This continues the positive trend from the previous year. However, more permits are needed, especially in the south, from Saxony to Bavaria to Baden-Wuerttemberg", Heidebroek noted.

In the first tender for 2024, a total of 129 onshore wind farm projects with a combined capacity of 1,795 MW were selected while the targeted capacity was 2.48 GW.