Germany has cancelled offshore wind auctions for 2.5 GW of capacity in the North Sea, originally planned for 2026, postponing them by at least a year.
Following a failed tender for the N-10.1 and N-10.2 sites in the North Sea in August 2025, Germany had previously planned to retender them in June 2026. However, the German Federal Cabinet today approved a decision to suspend all offshore wind energy tenders in 2026.
According to the German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO), the sites are now expected to be auctioned in 2027. “The exact date will be determined by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency in the area development plan,” the BWO said in a statement.
“The BWO advocated early and repeatedly for a postponement of the auctions. The fact that the Cabinet has now followed this assessment sends the right signal,” said Hans Sohn, Head of Policy and Communications at the BWO.
“From our perspective, another auction of the two sites under the existing rules would have been very risky. We need a new auction design based on bilateral contracts for difference with indexation. This will limit risks and allow investments to resume,” he added.
According to draft legislation, the postponement of the tenders will not affect Germany’s offshore wind expansion targets under the Offshore Wind Energy Act. However, the federal government is urged to ensure that the next tender takes place as soon as possible, as a general delay until 2027 could create uncertainty in the value chain.
“At the same time, the affected offshore wind farm areas N-10.1 and N-10.2 must be optimized to offer better yield prospects. The expected number of full-load hours is too low under the current plan, which limits the technology’s main advantage: its very consistent electricity production,” the BWO noted.
The North Sea wind farms N-10.1 and N-10.2, with a total capacity of 2.5 GW and covering approximately 182 square kilometers, were originally scheduled to go online in 2030 and 2031, respectively.