Record Tenders and More New Installations – Wind Energy Expansion in Germany Gains Momentum in 2025
Münster (Germany) - The German wind energy market is on a growth trajectory in 2025. Over the full year, more than 5,400 MW (2024: 4,045 MW) of new wind power capacity were commissioned on a gross basis. The results of the latest onshore wind tender are contributing to the expectation that Germany’s expansion pace will remain on track in the coming years.
2025 onshore wind tenders reach an award volume of 14,445 MW - all rounds heavily oversubscribed
As in previous rounds, the tender held on November 1, 2025 was clearly oversubscribed. For a tendered volume of 3,450 megawatts (MW), 905 bids were submitted, totaling a record volume of 8,155 MW. Ultimately, 415 bids amounting to 3,456 MW were awarded contracts. According to the BNetzA, 37 bids were excluded.
The average volume-weighted award value fell to 6.06 ct/kWh (previous round: 6.57 ct/kWh), significantly below the maximum value of 7.35 ct/kWh. Bid values ranged between 5.80 and 6.12 ct/kWh (previous round: 6.39–6.64 ct/kWh).
“The submitted bid volume of more than 8 GW represents the highest value ever achieved in a tender. Looking at the entire year 2025, it is encouraging that every tender was oversubscribed. At the same time, award values have continued to decline compared with the previous round,” commented Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency, on the results of the latest tender.
The regional distribution of awards shows that North Rhine-Westphalia once again leads the federal state ranking with 1,093 MW (148 awards). Lower Saxony follows closely behind with 1,091 MW (133 awards). Brandenburg ranks third at a considerable distance with 262 MW (34 awards).
Together with the awards from the February (4,094 MW), May (3,447 MW), and August (3,448 MW) rounds, the BNetzA awarded a record onshore wind capacity of 14,445 MW in total in 2025.
“This puts onshore wind back on the expansion path of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). It is important that the federal government maintains these targets in the upcoming reform of the EEG next year—as agreed in the coalition committee—so that this development is not slowed down. Grid access must also be ensured,” commented Bärbel Heidebroek, President of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), on the 2025 tender results.
Wind energy in Germany: onshore expansion gathers pace in 2025 - offshore grid connection delayed
The tender results provide a clear indication of market development in the coming years. The continued strengthening data from the national wind energy market in 2025 also point to increasing market momentum.
From January to December 2025, according to an initial evaluation of data from the Federal Network Agency’s Market Master Data Register (MaStR) by IWR (as of January 4, 2026), wind turbines with a total gross capacity of 5,414 MW were connected to the grid in Germany (2024: 4,045 MW). After deducting the decommissioning of older turbines, this results in a net increase of around 4,790 MW (2024: 3,296 MW).
These figures include both onshore and offshore installations. Looking exclusively at onshore wind energy, an especially dynamic picture emerges: from January to December 2025, net additions amounted to 4,501 MW. Compared with the previous year 2024, this represents an increase of 76 percent (2024: 2,554 MW).
Offshore, a total of 24 wind turbines with a capacity of 291 MW were commissioned in 2025 at the He Dreiht (960 MW) and Borkum Riffgrund 3 (913 MW) offshore wind farms, both of which are still under construction. As a result, Germany’s offshore wind capacity in operation approached 9,506 MW by the end of 2025, nearing the 10,000 MW mark.
Originally, He Dreiht and Borkum Riffgrund 3 were scheduled to be fully operational in 2025. Assuming that full commissioning of both projects now takes place in 2026 and that the Windanker offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea (300 MW) is also connected to the grid, Germany’s offshore wind capacity in operation could rise to around 11,500 MW by the end of the year.
Source: IWR Online, 09 Jan 2026