The German Federal Network Agency has added two more offshore wind farm connection systems to the revised Offshore Grid Development Plan (O-NEP) 2030.
Together with the lines confirmed in the previous offshore network development plans, the two new connections, expected between 2026 and 2030, will make up a total of five connections in the Baltic Sea and three in the North Sea.
Besides the confirmation of the network development plans, the Federal Network Agency has also published a revised environmental report, which describes and evaluates the environmental impact of the confirmed grid expansion projects.
Needs assessment and the preparation of the environmental report were preceded by a ten-week public participation, in which the agency received more than 15,000 opinions.
Three O-NEP 2030 scenarios project that the German offshore grid connection system will be expanded by additional 2,300 kilometers of new connections and reach a total transmission capacity of 7.4GW. The investment needed for this upgrade is estimated at around EUR 16 billion.
The O-NEP 2035 scenario projects 3,702 kilometers of new connections and an overall capacity of 11.4GW, with the investment reaching EUR 22 billion.
In September, a group of economic and energy ministers and senators of five northern German states, together with representatives of the coastal cities and the industry, signed the Cuxhaven Appeal 2.0 , calling for an expansion goal of at least 20GW in the North and Baltic Seas by 2030, and at least 30GW by 2035.