Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) has published a preliminary draft to amend and update the 2025 offshore wind site development plan, alongside a draft scoping document for the strategic environmental assessment. The proposal outlines a pathway to increase offshore wind capacity from around 11 GW currently to 70 GW by 2045, with fewer grid connections and more space for individual wind farms.
It also takes account of the current draft amendment to the Offshore Wind Energy Act. Authorities and the public can submit comments until 3 December 2026.
In early October, the BSH adopted a second amendment to the 2025 plan to improve the conditions for tenders in 2027. The new draft looks further ahead and sets out a potential framework for subsequent years. The update process must be completed in time for the 2028 tenders.
The BSH says offshore wind farm development and grid connections need to be planned together. The aim is to provide companies with long-term planning certainty while retaining flexibility for future developments. The agency has launched the process alongside the amendment to the Offshore Wind Energy Act so that legislative decisions can be incorporated into the planning process. Changes arising from the ongoing parliamentary process will be considered as the plan develops.
A central element of the plan is overplanting, in which the installed capacity of a wind farm exceeds the transmission capacity of its grid connection. This is possible because turbines rarely operate at their maximum output simultaneously, allowing the connection to be used more efficiently.
Through overplanting and other measures, the BSH proposes removing five grid connections included in earlier plans. According to the agency, this could save costs amounting to tens of billions of euros. It would also reduce the number of cable routes required and avoid crossings of sensitive coastal marine areas.
The BSH proposes lower power density for newly designated wind farm areas. This would mean installing less capacity per square kilometre, allowing greater spacing between turbines and reducing wake effects, which can increase electricity generation.
The newly proposed areas are each planned to accommodate 1,100 MW, compared with 2,000 MW in previous plans. The national target of 70 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2045 remains unchanged.
The BSH is also considering a different sequence for offshore wind development. Rather than developing areas progressively from the coast towards the open sea, it is examining a more geographically distributed approach. This could preserve larger gaps between existing wind farms and those developed later, reducing interactions between projects while the available areas are still being built out.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) has carried out electricity yield simulations indicating that this approach could deliver higher overall generation over time. The BSH has published the simulation results alongside the other planning documents.
The BSH has adjusted the proposed layout of wind farm areas to take account of seabirds. Area N-17 would be moved south-eastwards, while a smaller adjustment is proposed for the north-western edge of area N-16.
The strategic environmental assessment will examine the effects of the proposed plan on the marine environment and identify measures to avoid or reduce environmental impacts from offshore wind development.
The preliminary draft identifies five acceleration areas for designation at plan level for the first time, as provided for under the European Union’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).
It also presents scenarios for the future use of existing offshore wind areas. These scenarios establish a framework for the continued operation of existing wind farms, with potential provisions to be developed further.
The BSH currently expects the updated plan to designate only those areas and grid connections intended to become operational by around the end of the 2030s. This would provide greater planning certainty, particularly for grid expansion, while leaving room for later decisions. The proposed timeframe and scope remain open for comment.
The BSH will hold a public hearing on 19 January 2027 at the Hamburg Chamber of Skilled Crafts. After considering the feedback, it will prepare a further draft accompanied by environmental reports, which authorities and the public will be able to review.
