Germany’s Federal Network Agency has launched tenders for two additional areas in the North Sea with a total output of 2500MW.
The two areas for offshore wind farms include one 1500MW lot and 1000MW zone, both located approximately 120km northwest of Helgoland. The wind farms are scheduled to go into operation in 2031.
The areas have not investigated by the state, with successful bidders needing to carry out the investigations on their own.
The bidder who reports the lowest need for funding for a wind farm on the site will be awarded the contract. If several bidders forego funding for an area and submit bids with a bid value of zero cents per kilowatt hour, a so-called dynamic bidding procedure will be used, as in 2023.
The bidder with the highest willingness to pay will then be awarded the contract. The winner is determined in bidding rounds with increasing bid levels. In the tenders for areas not previously examined centrally in 2023, the implementation of the dynamic bidding process resulted in total proceeds of €12.6bn.
90% of the proceeds go towards reducing electricity costs.
Bids must be submitted by 1 June, 2024. After checking the bids, carrying out the award process and, if necessary, carrying out the dynamic bidding process, the bidders will be informed of the decision and the tender results will be published.
In addition to these tenders, the Federal Network Agency will launch further tenders for offshore wind energy by March 1, 2024. These tenders concern three areas that have been centrally examined by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency with a total output of 5500MW.