The German energy regulator (Bundesnetzagentur or Federal Network Agency) has released the result of the first onshore wind and solar tenders of 2020, which were launched on 1 February 2020.
The Federal Network Agency initially offered 900 MW of onshore wind capacity, received 67 bids totalling 527 MW, and selected 66 wind projects with a total capacity of 523 MW. Many projects were awarded in Schleswig-Holstein (103 MW ) and in North Rhine-Westphalia (97 MW), followed by Thuringia (56 MW), Brandenburg (59 MW) and Lower Saxony (56 MW). Bidding prices ranged between €5.76c/ kWh and 6.2c/kWh, and the average surcharge stood at €6.18c/kWh, i.e. 2% above the average surcharge of €6.11c/kWh in the previous round.
In addition, the regulator awarded 18 solar projects with a total capacity of 100 MW. The first solar tender of 2020 was almost 5 times oversubscribed: it attracted 98 bids for 493 MW, having initially offered 100 MW. Bidding prices ranged between €3.55c/ kWh and €5.21c/kWh, and the average surcharge stood at €5.01c/kWh, i.e. 14% above the average surcharge of €5.69c/kWh in the previous round.
In October 2019, the Federal Ministry of Economy of Germany presented a plan to foster onshore wind development, which aimed to fast-track the approval procedures of onshore wind projects and to reinforce their social acceptance, to accelerate permit approvals and restrict the suspensive effect of actions against wind projects, and to better synchronise the expansion of wind projects with that of the power network.
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