WIND POWER: NATIONWIDE JOB ENGINE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH

According to the study, offshore wind turbines generated 26.1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2025. The value creation of offshore wind energy in Germany varies from region to region and follows a clear functional division of labor along the value chain: Companies from northern Germany dominate in product development, planning and operation. A large part of the value creation, however, from steel production for towers to software components, takes place in the industrial centers of many other federal states. This secures thousands of skilled jobs in regions such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt. The frontrunner Baden-Württemberg – far away from the North and Baltic Seas – is the leader in the value-added ranking, recording turnover of five billion euros. 

In total, some 900 companies from many regions keep the wind turbines at sea running. In the year 2025 they generated a sales volume weighing in at 14.6 billion euros, securing more than 31,500 full-time jobs – and consequently future-oriented employment. If the expansion targets of the Offshore Wind Energy Act are achieved, these figures could rise to over 50 billion euros in gross value added and 120,000 employees up to the year 2045. In this way, offshore wind energy is securing high industrial value creation and jobs in Germany. The offshore sector has the potential to develop into a rapidly growing industry. At a time when many industrial jobs are being cut or moved overseas, this is an encouraging sign.

Salzgitter AG is also positioning itself as a relevant player in the value chain: the group subsidiary, Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, supplies heavy plate for offshore wind towers – also in CO₂-reduced versions. The Group is involved as one of the supporters of the study, along with various other renowned companies.

Offshore wind energy — it’s a nationwide success story. But the study warns that the delays in expansion over the past few years have caused Germany to fall behind more dynamic markets at times. This has put pressure not only on industrial value creation but also on capacities throughout the value chain. The industry is facing significant headwinds. Meanwhile, expansion is stalling. Companies want more planning security for their expansion courses, while at the same time, China is investing heavily in wind power and stepping up the competitive pressure on wind power suppliers in this country. Imports of central offshore components are on the rise, and sometimes at very low prices, which is putting additional pressure on European manufacturers. In particular, state-subsidized overcapacity outside Europe can lead to distortions of competition and weaken the economic foundation of domestic industry.

Auctions for wind farms on the North Sea coast have recently failed to attract any bidders. The criticism: Feeding additional electricity into the grid earns so little that the investments no longer pay off. The study sees the insolvency of individual market participants and a declining degree of specialization as further indications that the industry is under pressure to take action. According to the German Wind Offshore Association, the expansion target for offshore wind energy in Germany of 30 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2030 will be missed by more than a third. Especially now that, according to reports from NDR and "Süddeutsche Zeitung", the French energy company TotalEnergies intends to withdraw from wind farms in the North and Baltic Seas. TotalEnergies wants to return already reserved areas, the media reported, citing an internal company position paper. This would incur far-reaching repercussions for the expansion of offshore wind power and serious consequences for the energy transition. The wind turbines planned there were intended to supply a total of 7.5 gigawatts of electricity in future. The company cites delays in grid expansion and changes in the economic environment as the reason for the decision. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Federal Ministry of Economics has "no reason to doubt the realization" as things stand in mid-May.

It is clear, however, that the industry urgently needs more tailwind. According to the BWO study, bureaucratic obstacles must be removed, planning and approval procedures accelerated and wind farm and grid expansion better synchronized. The wind industry is also hoping for targeted risk sharing between the state and investors: Two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfD) set a fixed price per megawatt hour of electricity generated in the tendering process. If the market price is lower, the state pays the difference to the operator; if it is higher, the state receives the additional revenue from the operator. Great Britain has already gained good experience with this system. Above all, however, industrial manufacturing and supply chain capacities in Germany and Europe must be consistently safeguarded.

"We need offshore wind power, not only as a key economic factor and job engine," says Thorsten Gintaut, Managing Director of Ilsenburg Grobblech GmbH. "It is also a central component of the energy transition and is urgently required so that we can position ourselves more confidently in the energy sector in the future." Offshore wind energy increases Germany's resilience and supply security. It is worrying if domestic value creation in this area continues to decline. Without industrial policy control and steering, Germany threatens to become a mere assembly location for foreign products. In the long term, there is a risk that a large share of the investments associated with offshore wind will flow abroad instead of securing employment and prosperity in Germany. In addition, greater wind energy capacity is needed so that green electricity for the production of green hydrogen is available. This is urgently required for low-CO₂ steel production, for example.