Octopus Energy Group’s generation arm has signed its first renewable generation deal in Germany.

The clean energy specialist’s generation fund management team will build the 35 MW Gaishecke onshore wind farm in Hessen, near Frankfurt. 

Construction will start in the next few weeks with the site due to become operational by the end of 2023.

Once built the 10 wind turbines, made by Vestas, will generate almost 100,000 MWh - enough green energy to power nearly 40,000 households a year. 

This will offset nearly 60,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, the same as taking 30,000 petrol cars off the road.

Octopus bought the rights for the construction of the wind farm from a consortium of sellers. It is aiming to quickly ramp up its generation portfolio in Germany and its fund management team is already scoping out further sites. 

By 2030 the company is planning to operate 1,200 MW of wind and solar farms across the country.

The move is the next step in Octopus Energy’s Germany strategy. 

The company first launched to the market in November 2020 and a year later, together with Tesla, started supplying power to German Tesla Powerwall customers. 

Over the past year, Octopus’ German customer base has grown tenfold, recently crossing the 120,000 households threshold. By 2024 the company is targeting a million customers.

The new deal brings Octopus’s generation and supply businesses closer together and will enable Octopus Energy to launch its innovative wind tariff – the Fan Club – in Germany in the future. 

The tariff, which was launched in the UK in 2021, offers communities living close to its wind turbines up to 50% discount on their energy rates.

Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to expand into renewable generation in Germany as we rapidly scale green power across the continent. We’re huge fans of Germany’s wind market and can’t wait to build this wind farm – which will be the first of many – to bring even more cheap green energy to people and help secure energy independence.”

The deal comes as the German government has made clear its ambitions to increase energy security by boosting the construction of home-grown renewables.

Andrew Mack, CEO of Octopus Energy Germany, added: “We’ve been blown away by the response to Octopus in the German retail energy market. This first onshore wind deal is a really significant milestone and it’s just the beginning, bringing green generation even closer to the consumer.”

Octopus Energy Generation already manages 3 GW of renewable energy assets across Europe. The company is stepping up its generation capabilities, planning to create 18 GW of clean energy generation projects across the world by 2027.