Germany’s Federal Network Agency has released the first onshore wind tender for the 2026 calendar year, inviting bids for 3.44 gigawatts of capacity. Developers have until Feb. 2, 2026 to lodge offers and must hold valid environmental permits before the closing date. The tender represents one-third of Berlin’s 10 GW onshore wind target for 2026 and follows four heavily subscribed rounds in 2025 that cleared the same overall volume.
Ceiling price trimmed for bidders
For this opening round the regulator capped bids at €0.072 per kilowatt-hour (about C$0.11). That ceiling is marginally below the 2025 limit of €0.0735 and reflects lower construction costs observed in last year’s pay-as-bid auctions, where the volume-weighted average cleared at €0.0657 per kilowatt-hour.
“The new price ceilings create a framework that enables a larger number of bidders to participate in auctions,” Klaus Müller said when the adjusted guidance was published in December. Berlin also retained a rule that lets operators file supplementary bids for projects whose capacity later rises by more than 15 per cent, a move aimed at easing repowering of older turbines.
Historically, German onshore tenders have drawn more bids than capacity on offer. The Aug. 1, 2025 round attracted 5.7 GW in proposals for a 3.4 GW tranche, forcing award prices down for a fourth straight auction, according to the regulator’s September release.
Industry expects a similar response in 2026 because 15 GW of new projects won permits in 2024, almost double the previous year’s tally, leaving a large queue of shovel-ready sites.
Pipeline signals supply chain strain
Stronger demand is rippling through the equipment market. Vestas announced in December it will double blade output at its Polish plant to meet German orders, while Enel made an €80 million (about C$118 million) entry purchase of two Bavarian wind farms the same month.
Analysts say Germany added about 4 GW of onshore capacity in 2025 and could exceed 5 GW in 2026 if tendered volumes translate swiftly into construction.
Global data point in the same direction. “Wind energy continues to drive investment and jobs, improve energy security and lower consumer costs,” Ben Backwell, chief executive of the Global Wind Energy Council, noted in April while cautioning that policy volatility still threatens supply chains. His group recorded a record 11 GW of onshore awards in Germany in 2024, 72 per cent higher than the year before.
Germany aims for 115 GW of onshore wind by 2030 and 160 GW by 2040, up from 63.5 GW at the end of 2024. Reaching those milestones hinges on sustained auction uptake, fast grid connections and smoother regional planning.
Berlin’s 2026 launch keeps the country on that timetable, but investors will watch February’s bid totals for evidence that the pared-back ceiling price still leaves enough room for viable returns.