Germany wind sector faces transport bottlenecks as turbine orders rise

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Germany wind sector transport issues

Highlights

Germany approved a record 20.8 GW of onshore wind projects for 2025, with proposed auctions of 15 GW each in 2027 and 2028, up from around 10 GW this year.
Nordex and Enercon report strong order books through 2028, but oversized component transport and slow permit processes are restricting turbine installation rates below planned levels.
Shortages of construction crews, limited specialist tower suppliers, and delayed grid connections risk leaving installed turbines idle for months after completion.

Orders build as logistics strain emerges

As reported by Reuters, turbine makers in Germany say factories have enough room to support a coming expansion in onshore wind, but moving oversized components to project sites is becoming a major constraint.

After years of slow approvals, Germany authorised a record 20.8 gigawatts of onshore wind projects in 2025, while Berlin has proposed auctioning 15 GW of onshore wind capacity in both 2027 and 2028, up from around 10 GW this year. The government wants renewables to provide 80% of Germany's electricity consumption by 2030.

Nordex says its planned German installations for 2027 are already covered by orders, with a good portion of 2028 also booked. Enercon expects turbine installations in Germany to reach 10 GW to 11 GW in 2028, roughly double last year's level. Enercon, Nordex and Denmark's Vestas supplied 97% of Germany's newly installed onshore wind capacity in the first nine months of 2026.

Nordex CEO Jose Luis Blanco says the company can produce components for another 2 GW without building new factories, and its nacelle plants serving Germany are operating at about 60% of nominal capacity. Jefferies analyst Constantin Hesse says such spare capacity is typical for turbine manufacturers balancing several markets and uneven project schedules.

Permits, crews and grid links threaten rollout

Transport rules are proving harder to solve than factory output. In Bavaria, local authorities banned roadside parking through two villages in September so trucks carrying 86-metre turbine blades could pass tight bends with blades raised upright and moving at only 5 to 10 km per hour.

Developer Wust Wind & Sonne needed 10 oversized deliveries for each of its three turbines, while the crane arrived in roughly 65 truckloads. Enercon executive Benjamin Seifert says securing enough trucks and obtaining permits early has become a real bottleneck in Germany.

Blanco says Nordex is installing fewer turbines in Germany than planned because some sites are not ready and transport permits are arriving too slowly. He adds that restrictions on when oversized vehicles can use motorways would curb deliveries even if roadworks were removed, and says Nordex is discussing longer transport hours and alternative routes, including waterways, with authorities.

Beyond transport, both Nordex and Enercon say industrial layoffs in Germany have made it easier to hire engineers, but finding construction crews for sites remains difficult. Enercon also warns that specialised tower suppliers are limited for taller turbines, while late grid connections and shortages of substation contractors can leave completed turbines idle for months after installation.

In our earlier report on Houthi missile attacks disrupting Saudi Arabia’s major events calendar, we explained how strikes near Riyadh forced airport closures and triggered postponements of high-profile diplomatic, sporting, and business gatherings. We also noted that prolonged disruptions could weigh on investor confidence and strain transport links, complicating planning for flagship conferences and other large-scale commitments.

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