Skip next section Contract awarded to connect 2-gigawatt offshore wind park to grid June 17, 2026
Contract awarded to connect 2-gigawatt offshore wind park to grid
Germany is working to develop offshore wind power to achieve greater energy independence from foreign suppliers and move away from fossil fuels Image: Siemens Gamesa German electricity grid operator 50Hertz said Wednesday that it had awarded a contract to connect offshore wind farms in the North Sea to the network to Siemens Energy and offshore wind infrastructure manufacturer Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables (NSORe).
The project, called "North Sea Connector 2," includes an offshore platform, which will be built by NSORe and outfitted with transmission technology by Siemens Energy, and onshore station in northern Germany.
The project will convert power from offshore wind farms on a platform and then feed it to the German grid via undersea cables. It will handle up to 2 gigawatts of power, equivalent to the electricity needs of around 2 million households.
Negotiations are still underway regarding a second, identical project. If this project materializes, the contract value for just NSORe would amount to approximately €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion).
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The announcement comes as Germany and other European countries work to create climate-friendly offshore wind power to achieve greater energy independence from foreign suppliers and move away from fossil fuels .
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche welcomed the deal.
"Against the backdrop of a changed geopolitical environment and growing trade conflicts, it has become clear how important resilient supply chains and technological sovereignty are," she said.
Siemens Energy said in a statement that most of its work on the project, including key electrical equipment, will be carried out in Germany, with transformers and converters produced in Nuremberg and switchgear supplied from Berlin.
NOSRe said the offshore platform would mainly be built at a shipyard near the northern German city of Rostock.
The companies said the project would create some 500 jobs in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
"This is outstanding news for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania," the state's premier, Manuela Schwesig, said. "The two concrete large-scale projects stand for industrial value creation, good jobs, and future technologies. They strengthen our state as a major shipbuilding and industrial hub and demonstrate that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania plays an important role in the energy transition."
The North Sea Connector 2 is scheduled to go online by the end of 2034.
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Skip next section Merz praises G7's pledge of for Ukraine June 17, 2026
Merz praises G7's pledge of for Ukraine
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the G7 's joint declaration of support for Ukraine a "real success," particularly because leaders were able to convince US President Donald Trump to sign on as well.
"This is the first time since President Trump took office that we have issued a joint declaration at a G7 summit and found common language on the major foreign and security policy issues of our time," Merz said from the summit at Evian-les-Bains, France. "I consider that a real success."
The G7 leaders agreed "to increase the delivery of air defence capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities," their statement said.
As Russia's war in Ukraine continues, the German leader also praised the G7's appeal for even more sanctions and increased economic pressure on Russia, calling it a success that "sets a new tone, including regarding transatlantic unity and resolve."
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Skip next section Germany and Poland to sign scaled-down defense deals June 17, 2026
Germany and Poland to sign scaled-down defense deals
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul welcomed his Polish counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski, to Berlin on Wednesday as the two countries marked the 35th anniversary of their 1991 "Treaty of Good Neighborship and Friendly Cooperation" with a series of defense agreements.
"Aware of the tragic history of the 20th century, we bear a particular responsibility towards our region and our continent — as allies within NATO and partners in the European Union ," the two ministers said in a joint statement.
Notably, the pair denounced " Russia 's aggressive actions, particularly of a hybrid nature and in the field of disinformation," the aim of which they said is "to divide our societies, destroy public order, and undermine confidence in the state and its institutions."
Sharing borders with Ukraine , Russia (via the exclave of Kaliningrad ) and Russian ally Belarus , Poland has placed significant emphasis on defense and security and recently signed major treaties with Europe's two nuclear powers…
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