Offshore German wind power surpasses 10-gigawatt milestone

Germany's total installed offshore wind capacity exceeded 10 gigawatts for the first time on June 30, the Offshore Wind Energy Association reported on Tuesday after more than 1,000 megawatts were installed during the first half of the year.

A total of 1,764 offshore wind turbines, with a combined capacity of 10.8 gigawatts were in operation across the North Sea and Baltic Sea at that date.

According to the association, a further 22 turbines, with a combined capacity of 323 megawatts, have already been installed at the Borkum Riffgrund 3, He Dreiht and Nordseecluster A offshore wind farms but have not yet entered commercial operation.

Final investment decisions have been made for projects totalling 2.6 gigawatts of additional capacity, with a further 17.5 gigawatts awaiting final investment approval. Under current plans, Germany could have 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity installed by 2032.

Offshore wind turbines generate more electricity on average than comparable onshore installations, achieving between 3,500 and 4,500 full-load hours per year, compared with 2,000 to 3,000 hours for onshore wind farms.

Conventional power plants, such as coal-fired power stations, can achieve even higher utilization rates, meaning installed wind capacity cannot be directly compared with the output of conventional generating facilities.

In 2025, Germany's offshore wind farms generated approximately 26.1 million megawatt-hours of electricity, according to the German Wind Energy Association. This would theoretically be sufficient to meet the annual demand of around 8.7 million households, assuming an average yearly consumption of 3,000 kilowatt-hours per household.