Positive
Project advancing - milestone achieved
High Impact
Major milestone or critical setback
BNetzA confirmed the Netzentwicklungsplan Strom 2037/2045 (2023 edition) on 1 March 2024 under section 12c of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG). This confirmation creates the legal basis and obligation for the responsible TSO to plan, procure, and construct this offshore grid connection system. For regulated German TSO offshore grid connections, the BNetzA NEP confirmation functions as the de facto Final Investment Decision: unlike merchant or developer-led projects that require a separate board-level investment decision and financial close, the NEP confirmation simultaneously authorises and obligates the TSO to invest. Costs are recovered through the offshore grid levy (Offshore-Netzumlage). The NEP 2037/2045 (2023) schedules 25,980 MW of offshore transmission capacity across 16 grid connection systems for commissioning between 2026 and 2032.