Germany's Federal Network Agency has placed a tender for an offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The region will support the development of up to 980 megawatts of capacity, with electricity prices capped at 64 euros per megawatt-hour. The bidder with the lowest subsidy requirements for wind farms in the region will win the contract. Bids must be submitted to the Federal Network Agency by September 1, 2022.

After the tenders are reviewed and the winning procedures are carried out, the bidders will be notified of the decision and the results of the bids will be announced. The agency said a company that initially planned to build an offshore wind farm at the site had statutory access. The wind farm is scheduled to be completed in 2027, and the tender is another step towards achieving an offshore expansion target by 2030, the agency said. The bidding process will follow the so-called "central model" introduced in 2021.

The model requires not only tendered funding and grid-connected capacity, but also an application to the Federal Office for Maritime and Hydrology (BSH) for planning approval to develop the offshore wind farm area. The tender is based on a formal determination of the suitability of the area. This is the result of a preliminary investigation carried out by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Office on behalf of the Federal Network Agency. The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Office examined the marine environment, subsoil and wind and sea conditions in the area and published the findings on its website. The cost of the preliminary investigation will be passed on to the winning bidder after the contract is awarded. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

As previously reported, Germany plans to auction 1,880 MW of offshore wind capacity between 2022 and 2023. One of these areas, N-7.2, is located 85 km northwest of the East Frisian Islands. The area covers an area of 58 square kilometers and has an installed capacity of 980 MW. It is scheduled to be put into operation in 2027.Editor/XingWentao