Germany plans to build more wind turbines in the North and Baltic seas than originally planned, a draft plan by the maritime authority showed on Friday, as Berlin aims to have 70 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2045.
Germany's Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) on Friday published a draft containing specifications for offshore wind energy expansion to up to 60 GW by 2037, up from 40 GW originally planned for 2035.
In the plan, some 36 GW of the 60 GW planned will be built on so-called acceleration areas, meaning construction and operation permits for offshore wind turbines will be relaxed there.
"The draft area development plan shows that offshore wind energy will continue to be an essential pillar in the transformation of the energy system in the long term," Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement.
(Reuters - Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Miranda Murray)