The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) has proposed that the government introduce a legally regulated mechanism allowing developers to voluntarily return offshore wind sites that are unlikely to be realised, which would enable a rapid re-tendering of the sites.
According to the association, this would prevent long-term blockage of offshore wind areas and grid connection capacity, which could affect projects representing up to EUR 50 billion in investment volume.
The proposal concerns offshore wind sites awarded between 2023 and 2025 that have not yet reached a final investment decision (FID). According to BWO, 14 sites with a combined capacity of 17.8 GW were awarded in Germany between 2023 and 2025, and the proposed mechanism could apply to projects representing up to 16 GW of capacity.
The new mechanism would enable developers to voluntarily return sites within four weeks of the regulation entering into force. The returned areas would then be reallocated under Germany’s revised offshore wind auction framework from 2027 onwards, potentially through special tenders.
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“The German government has failed to include a buyback option for awarded projects in the offshore wind auction rules” , said Stefan Thimm , Managing Director of BWO.
“Furthermore, the existing auction design has imposed significant risks on companies, risks they can barely influence – particularly in cases of severe grid connection delays. There is a risk that areas for up to 16 gigawatts of installed capacity will be blocked. A standstill in project development threatens the supply chain.”
BWO’s proposal also stipulates that developers returning sites would not be allowed to bid again for the same areas and would be required to hand over existing project data and preliminary studies to authorities.
According to the organisation, developers would not receive refunds for payments already made under environmental and fisheries-related auction components, while security deposits would be fully repaid to encourage early disclosure of non-viable projects.