For a long time, the protection of this infrastructure was hardly taken into account. Until the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, offshore wind farms were primarily considered from energy and climate policy perspectives. However, recent Russian sabotage of power and internet cables has highlighted just how vulnerable these systems are. Particularly problematic is that repairs to undersea cables are often very time-consuming, creating significant supply risks during the downtime.
Umbach also points to structural weaknesses in the connection of many offshore wind farms. In some cases, redundant power cables for transmitting the generated energy are lacking. In certain instances, multiple wind farms—for example, one in the UK and one in Norway—are connected to the mainland via a single central cable. While this practice reduces costs, it significantly increases the security risk, as a single failure could have far-reaching consequences.
Finally, Umbach criticizes that this cost-benefit calculation remains widespread. Security is often treated in offshore infrastructure planning as merely a cost factor, rather than a necessary investment in resilience. Given the changed threat environment, a fundamental rethink is now required: the protection of offshore wind farms must be integrated from the outset in planning.