The German offshore wind industry added 252MW of new capacity in the first half of 2019, according to figures from Deutsche WindGuard.
Developers installed a total of 42 turbines to bring the grid connected total to just under 6.7GW.
A further 679MW is under construction, the figures show.
Offshore wind groups, BWE, BWO, Stiftung Offshore-Windenergie, VDMA Power Systems and WAB welcomed the increase and said the 7.7GW 2020 target is within reach.
“The offshore-industry is delivering as expected, and – as we have announced – it has increasingly developed towards a foundation of the energy transition,” said a statement.
The groups also cited national electricity data that showed generation from offshore wind farms was up 30% in the first half of the year, although no further details were provided.
However, they repeated warnings that investment was threatened by a lack of a long-term framework and reiterated calls for a 15GW by 2030 target be be increased to 20GW and to 30GW by 2035.
“In order to maintain Germany´s technological leadership as a wind industry location, not to further jeopardize value creation and to ensure the achievement of the climate protection targets by 2030, the industry now needs reliable, long-term framework conditions,” they stated.
“This involves raising the expansion targets and launching a special tender before the end of the year, including the converter capacities that are still available.”