Germany's Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) has announced a further reduction in the capacity to be auctioned for the third round of the country's onshore wind tender, lowering it to approximately 2,709 megawatts (MW). This decision reflects BNetzA's concern that the capacity offered might exceed the bids received, according to a press statement issued on Wednesday.
The third round initially aimed to auction onshore wind projects with a total capacity of 4,093 MW. Interested parties are required to submit their bids by August 1, 2024, with a maximum bid value set at EUR 0.0735 (USD 0.080) per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
The reduction has drawn criticism from the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), which termed the move as sending a “wrong signal.” The BWE highlighted that approximately 5,600 MW of capacity with existing permits could have participated in the auction.
In previous rounds, the first auction selected 129 projects with a combined capacity of 1,795 MW out of 2.48 GW offered, while the second round resulted in awards totaling 2,379 MW.
