RWE Green Lights 1.6 GW Wind Farm for Germany’s North Sea

German energy company RWE has decided to proceed with a large, two-phase, offshore wind farm project which is part of its long-term plans for renewable energy. The company points out the project provides synergies with its existing operations and can be used to provide renewable power to industrial customers.

“Our portfolio already includes six offshore wind farms off Germany’s coastlines. The Nordseecluster will add two more,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind. “This sends out a good signal for the energy transition in Germany and for RWE. With a total capacity of 1.6 gigawatts, these wind farms will generate around 6.5 terawatt hours of green electricity per year. This will contribute in particular to the decarbonization of industry in our home market.” 

The Nordseecluster will be located approximately 31 miles north of the island of Juist in the North Sea. The company highlights that under the terms of its agreement, it does not have to make any lease payments to the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). The project will be implemented in two phases with a total capacity of 1.6 GW.

Manufacturing of some key components has already started for Nordseecluster A, which will have a total capacity of 660 MW. Offshore construction is scheduled to begin next year. By the beginning of 2027, all 44 wind turbines shall be connected to the grid. Nordseecluster B will add another 900 MW of capacity. The 60 turbines are scheduled to start commercial operation from the beginning of 2029.

The project will involve some of the largest suppliers and contractors in the sector. Chantiers de l’Atlantique will supply two offshore transformer substations while Vestas will supply the wind turbines (type V236-15.0 MW), each with a capacity of 15 MW. Van Oord will install the foundations for the wind turbines. Havfram Wind, using its installation vessels Norse Wind and Norse Energi will install the wind turbines.
 
RWE over the past 20 years has put 19 offshore wind farms into operation, including six off the German coast. By 2030, it plans to invest a further $60 billion into renewable energy including wind, batteries, and hydrogen projects. RWE has set a goal of tripling its global offshore wind capacity from the current 3.3 GW to 10 GW in 20230.