Germany reports record volume of permits for new wind projects

Germany’s wind power sector had a successful first half of this year. Nearly 8 GW of projects received construction permits, and around 2.2 GW of projects were commissioned. However, the sector and non-governmental organisations are watching with concern as Germany’s economy ministry prepares a “reality check” of the country’s energy policy.

The first half of 2025 brought a record volume of permits for new wind farms in Germany. Compared with the same period in 2024, the total rose by almost two-thirds to 7.8 GW. Regionally, the increase was driven by projects in North Rhine-Westphalia (2.7 GW), Lower Saxony (1.6 GW) and Bavaria (0.8 GW).

An analysis by the industry association Fachagentur Wind und Solar, reported by the international news outlet Clean Energy Wire, found that the average time required to obtain construction permits for projects approved in the first half of this year fell by around 20% year on year, to 18 months.

The first half of this year was also relatively strong in terms of newly commissioned capacity, with 400 wind turbines totalling almost 2.2 GW of installed capacity entering service. By the end of June, Germany had a fleet of nearly 29,000 onshore wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 65.3 GW.

Auction oversubscription returns, but the future remains uncertain

After wind power development began to gather pace in Germany 10 years ago, construction of new capacity slowed. Additions of new capacity fell well below the record levels seen in the second half of the previous decade, largely because of a shortage of projects in the pipeline caused by lengthy permitting procedures.

The situation has recently begun to change, as illustrated by oversubscribed auctions for operating support. In the most recent auction, which offered support for a total of 3,443 MW of installed capacity, the volume of bids from projects came to almost 5 GW.

However, this trend could be slowed by the results of the so-called “reality check” of Germany’s energy policy, which aims to align the expansion of renewable energy sources with that of the power grid. The report, being prepared by the economy ministry, will examine forecasts for electricity demand, power grid development and other key energy trends.