Offshore Wind Energy: Germany Sets Sail for a Clean Energy Future

The German government is steering towards a green future and plans to develop up to a quarter of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the North and Baltic Seas with wind farms. Nico Nolte, a specialist in maritime affairs, stressed that despite the significant number of wind turbines, they will be spaced 800 to 1000 meters apart, and he is confident that the Federal Office will overcome the challenges. The EEZ consists of around 33,000 square kilometers of water surface that are usable for economic activities. In comparison, only 2% of the land area is earmarked for wind development. The ambitious goal of the Federal Government includes an increase in offshore wind power capacity to 70 gigawatts by 2045. Currently, Germany already has 1,564 wind turbines with a total capacity of 8.4 gigawatts, and four more wind farms with 2.54 gigawatts of power are under construction. With the existing Area Development Plan, the target is 30 gigawatts by 2030, and work is already underway to identify suitable areas to achieve the 70-gigawatt goal. To realize the ambitious plans, the number of offshore wind turbines must significantly increase, measured against the average performance of current facilities. Additionally, there will be a need to replace turbines due to their maximum lifespan of 25 years. Amidst the intensive use of the North and Baltic Seas, Helge Heegewaldt, President of the Federal Office, assures that he intends to maintain the high standards of marine conservation. He points out that wind farms can create new habitats by attracting maritime growth to their foundations and thus drawing in fish. Moreover, the fishing pressure is reduced in the vicinity of wind farms. At the same time, Heegewaldt draws attention to the increasing threat of extreme natural events to coastal security, noting that the North Sea has recently experienced 16 storm surges—a significant increase over the statistical norm. The Baltic Sea also experienced high water levels that broke the record marks for over 150 years due to the storm surge in October 2023. Interestingly, the Baltic Sea could even benefit from the storm surges of the North Sea. The influx of fresh water mass could help reduce the long-lasting oxygen deficiency in the Baltic Sea.