Energy Vattenfall CEO: Wind farm areas in the North Sea limited
According to Vattenfall CEO Anna Borg, there is a space problem for wind farms in parts of the German North Sea. "In the German North Sea, the space for offshore wind farms is limited," said the CEO of the state-owned Swedish energy company.
18.02.2026, 07:51
18.02.2026, 07:52
SDA
This complicates the planning of wind farm areas and leads to some turbines interfering with each other. "One wind farm shadows another," she told the German Press Agency. In technical jargon, this is known as the wake effect.
In Germany, there is a debate about whether wind power areas in the German exclusive economic zone are attractive enough to find buyers. In August 2025, the Federal Network Agency was unable to auction off two areas in the North Sea. In January, it became known that the German government wanted to postpone a tender planned for this year.
Vattenfall has decided against areas
Vattenfall had examined the areas put out to tender last year - but ultimately decided against bidding for economic reasons, said Borg: "It didn't seem attractive to us. If the German government had hedged price risks, the assessment might have been different."
Vattenfall, which counts Germany as one of its core markets, wants to build the Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farms elsewhere in the German North Sea. The final investment decision was only made in January. Construction of Nordlicht 1 is scheduled to begin this year, with Nordlicht 2 expected to start in 2027. "We are building the wind farms without state subsidies."
Industrial companies will purchase the electricity, Borg announced. It is already known that BASF, Salzgitter and the Dutch-American company LyondellBasell are among the customers so far. BASF and LyondellBasell are chemical companies, Salzgitter is a steel producer.
German wind farms abroad? Borg is cautious
An analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute Iwes had shown that the construction of German wind farms in neighboring European countries could make the energy transition cheaper. According to estimates by the German Offshore Wind Energy Association, costs in the billions could be saved.
A solution to the space problem by building wind farms solely for the German market in Danish and Swedish sea zones should be examined, said Borg. "At the same time, we already have an integrated European energy system in which electricity is transported between Germany and other markets." This will continue to be the case in the future.
