Electricity: Germany Narrowly Misses the 10,000 MW Offshore Wind Target In 2025
Münster (Germany) - Germany’s offshore wind energy sector failed to achieve the expected growth in 2025. In the past year, a total of 24 offshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of 291 MW were commissioned. This is according to an analysis of data from the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) by the International Forum for Renewable Energies (IWR) (as of 04.01.2026).
Offshore additions in 2025 fall short of expectations - 10,000 MW total capacity nearly missed
By the end of 2025, Germany had a total of 1,661 offshore wind turbines (2024: 1,637) with a combined capacity of 9,506 MW (2024: 9,215 MW) in operation. The addition of 24 offshore wind turbines with 291 MW falls significantly short of expectations. The original plan had called for the two large offshore wind farms He Dreiht (960 MW) and Borkum Riffgrund 3 (913 MW) to be fully operational in 2025, adding almost 1,900 MW to the grid.
Electricity generation from offshore wind increased in 2025 to 26.1 billion kWh (2024: 25.6 billion kWh), according to transmission system operators (as of 08.01.2026). The previous record was 26.9 billion kWh of offshore wind power in 2020.
Commissioning of He Dreiht and Borkum Riffgrund 3 delayed in 2025
At the He Dreiht offshore wind farm, 27 of the 64 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines had been installed by the end of November 2025, according to EnBW. The first turbine went online on 26 November 2025 and has been supplying electricity since then. By the end of the year, three more turbines were operational. Once fully commissioned in 2026, the wind farm is expected to generate around 3.6 billion kWh of electricity annually, which will be marketed via long-term power purchase agreements.
At Ørsted’s Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm, all 83 Siemens Gamesa SG 11.0-200 DD turbines have already been installed. The first turbine supplied electricity on 03 December 2025; currently, 20 turbines (11.55 MW each) with a total capacity of 231 MW are operational. Ørsted has not officially announced the expected annual electricity generation. Assuming the same full-load hours as He Dreiht, approximately 3.4 billion kWh per year can be expected, with electricity also marketed via long-term power purchase agreements.
Both wind farms submitted zero-cent bids in the Federal Network Agency’s auctions, meaning they operate without government subsidies and outside the EEG regime.
Outlook for 2026: Offshore wind capacity to rise by nearly 2,000 MW
In 2026, the commissioning of the Windanker offshore wind farm by Iberdrola in the Baltic Sea is planned. It will feature 20 Vestas turbines of the 15 MW class (V236-15.0 MW) with a total capacity of 300 MW.
Taking into account the full commissioning of He Dreiht and Borkum Riffgrund 3, Germany’s installed offshore wind capacity could reach around 11,500 MW by the end of 2026.
Source: IWR Online, 09 Jan 2026