The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) has called on the federal government to introduce a legally regulated mechanism for the voluntary return and rapid retendering of offshore wind sites. The association warns that up to 16 GW of awarded capacity — representing a project and procurement volume of approximately EUR 50 billion — risks being indefinitely blocked by grid connection delays and absent final investment decisions.
The BWO proposal covers projects awarded in the 2023 to 2025 auction rounds that have not yet received a final investment decision. Under the mechanism, companies would have four weeks from the regulation coming into force to declare a voluntary return. Returned sites would be quickly reallocated under the new 2027 auction rules, possibly via special tenders.
Companies returning sites would be barred from rebidding on the same areas and would be required to hand over existing preliminary investigation results to the Federal Network Agency. Security deposits would be fully refunded to incentivise early disclosure, while the environmental and fisheries payment components would not be returned.
“Billion-euro projects with no prospect of being built pose a real threat to the supply chain. We expect the German government to implement this proposal from the offshore wind industry promptly,” said Stefan Thimm, Managing Director of BWO. The association identified 14 offshore wind sites totalling 17.8 GW awarded in 2023–2025 auctions, of which approximately 16 GW would fall under the proposed transitional arrangement.
