Germany has already passed its 2020 target for expanding offshore wind connections, says transmission network operator TenneT, which operates in Germany and the Netherlands.

The government target for the North Sea and Baltic Sea for 2020 is 6.5GW and TenneT’s current total of twelve  offshore grid connections now deliver 7,132MW, the company says. TenneT managing director Tim Meyerjürgens said, that with three other offshore grid connections under construction, “We will be capable of delivering 10GW of transmission capacity from the North Sea in 2025 in Germany alone. We are pushing ahead with grid expansion on land just as rigorously, because this holistic approach is the key to a successful energy transition.”

TenneT said last year it transported 20.21TWh of power to shore – over 20% up on the previous year. Meanwhile, wind turbines in the Baltic Sea (not within the TenneT grid area) generated 3.95TWh, bringing Germany’s total offshore yield to 24.16TWh.

In 2019 the company also made the first offshore connection in its Netherlands offshore grid, and “By 2023 we will develop the connected load there to 3,500MW”, said Meyerjürgens.

He noted that a new interconnector, NordLink, would for the first time connect the electricity markets of Germany and Norway directly when it goes into operation at the end of 2020.

TenneT’s offshore proposals include North Sea Wind Power Hubs, which would open up to 180GW of offshore wind energy by 2045 and interconnect the grids of the countries bordering on the North Sea. “This is not science fiction: a first hub with a capacity of 10-15GW could go into operation in the early 2030s,” says Meyerjürgens.