It’s been a busy week for offshore wind, growing the pipeline of new projects by up to 11.8 GW. Here are some of the key events:
Germany is continuing its push to develop more offshore wind, the results of the allocation round for centrally pre-investigated sites have been announced, awarding a combined 5.5 GW. The winners of the round are:
âž¡ N-9.1: RWE, 2000 MW, expected COD 2030
âž¡ N-9.2: RWE, 2000 MW, expected COD 2031
âž¡ N-9.3: Luxcara, 1500 MW, expected COD 2029
A total of five bids were submitted in the round for the three sites, with the round using qualitative criteria, including financial payment and decarbonization as award criteria. The award of the pre-centrally investigated sites follows the allocation of the N-11.2 (1500 MW) and N-12.3 (1000 MW) sites in June, bringing Germany up to a total of 8.0 GW awarded in 2024.
In the US, BOEM has concluded the Central Atlantic allocation round, testing the interest of developer for new projects in the US East Coast. The round offered two sites, with a combined capacity of up to 6.3 GW. The winners of the round are:
âž¡ OCS-A 0557: Equinor, up to 2300 MW, winning price: $75,001,001
âž¡ OCS-A 0558: Dominion Energy, up to 4000 MW, winning price: $17,650,500
A total of 17 developers were qualified to bid in the round, several of which are already present in the US offshore wind market. Central Atlantic was the first round for allocating new projects on the East Coast after a turbulent and challenging 2023 for the US market, testing the interest from developers for new projects in the area.
And in the UK, the Crown Estate has launched the second phase of the Celtic Sea leasing round, aiming to award 4500 MW of floating projects. The newly opened phase invites bidders to present detailed plans for the construction of projects. Results of the round are currently expected by mid to end 2025.
Image Credit: RWE AG
