Germany’s offshore wind industry highlighted its economic problems at a meeting in Cuxhaven . Lower Saxony’s Minister-President Olaf Lies warned during a visit to the turbine factory of Siemens Gamesa, that a slowdown in expansion could put up to 23,000 of the roughly 49,000 jobs at risk over the next four years, according to industry estimates. The figure describes a possible scenario, not job losses that have already occurred.
Offshore wind energy companies said after the talks that the of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the has a duty to act. They complained of insufficient investment certainty and a lack of orders. Lies called on the federal government to take action. The industry’s importance extends beyond the coast: businesses inland are also involved in the supply chain, said the SPD politician.
The background is a period of uncertainty surrounding new wind farms. According to Lower Saxony’s energy ministry, tenders attracted no bids; projects that had already been awarded were also called into question. For manufacturers and suppliers, it is not enough to know what expansion targets exist on paper. They also need a foreseeable pipeline of orders to make full use of manufacturing capacity and staff.
The federal government has therefore put forward a reform of the Offshore Wind Energy Act. The Bundestag’s Economic Affairs Committee considered the draft at a public hearing on 2 November 2026. Calls were made for changes, although with differing priorities. The reform was part of the parliamentary process; the hearing did not result in a final legislative decision.
The German Association of Energy and Water Industries called for the process to be completed quickly and criticised the proposed two-stage award procedure. The association also pointed to price rises that had put projects at risk and called for adjustments to reflect cost developments. Incentives should be created for the orderly return of areas already awarded, so that they could actually be built on.
The IG Metall Küste broadly welcomed a planned government-backed investment guarantee at the hearing. At the same time, it saw significant gaps in the draft. Among other things, the union is calling for a reliable expansion pathway, an effective transmission grid and greater investment certainty. It explicitly links energy policy to the preservation of industrial jobs.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche had said, in response to a letter from several Länder, that projects no longer economically viable should be eligible for orderly return and reallocation. The companies involved should not, however, be released from their financial obligations. Reiche also pointed to shortcomings in previous auctions and a gap between bids and actual implementation.
For Lower Saxony For
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).