Deutsche Bahn aims to continuously increase the share of renewable energies in its traction power mix. Today, the share already stands at 69.8% (as of 2024). By 2030, it will rise to 80%, and by 2038 DB plans to switch entirely to 100% renewable energy. Alongside solar and hydropower, wind power is also used as a renewable energy source.
To this end, Deutsche Bahn has signed several supply agreements with RWE Supply & Trading for electricity from offshore wind farms. Since early 2024, for example, the RWE offshore wind farm Nordsee Ost has been supplying electricity to DB, followed by the RWE wind farm Amrumbank-West in the North Sea in autumn 2024. In addition, DB has been receiving electricity from the offshore wind farm Trianel Borkum since 2024. In this way, the share of renewables in DB’s rail power mix continues to increase.
Starting in 2026, the EnBW offshore wind farm He Dreiht will also supply Deutsche Bahn with renewable power. For this purpose, DB has concluded a so-called Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Karlsruhe-based energy company—a long-term supply contract spanning 15 years. The wind farm has been under construction since 2024, around 90 kilometers off Borkum and about 110 kilometers west of Helgoland.
Since January 2024, DB has also been sourcing wind power from ten onshore wind farms. For some of these plants, which are more than 20 years old, DB has secured continued operation on short notice, thereby also incorporating onshore wind farms into its growing renewable power portfolio.
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