Siemens Energy lands major offshore order as Germany eases gas‑plant “Südbonus”

Siemens Energy secured a multi‑billion‑euro contract to build the offshore converter platform for the North Sea Connector 2 project, a two‑gigawatt system that will include on‑shore stations and create around 500 jobs in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern. The award comes while the German Bundestag is debating a new gas‑power‑plant strategy, revising the so‑called “Südbonus” that had favored new gas plants in southern states. Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has softened the policy, allowing additional water‑hydrogen‑compatible gas turbines to be built at “system‑relevant” sites in the north and east, with a split of two‑thirds of capacity in the south and one‑third in the north/east. The change aims to guard against future “dark doldrums” as Germany targets 80 % renewable electricity by 2030, while addressing pressure from energy firms and several states that felt the original bonus was discriminatory. The political outcome will influence Siemens Energy’s gas‑turbine business, market margins and the broader German energy transition.