Germany offshore
Full speed ahead for RWE’s Nordseecluster
RWE has taken an investment decision in favour of its Nordseecluster group of offshore wind projects, with a total capacity of 1.560 GW
T
he planned wind farms, located in the North Sea, about 50 km north of the island of Juist, are expected to generate about 6.5 TWh per year, suggesting a load factor of about 47%. The Nordseecluster, which will employ
Vestas V236-15.0 MW wind turbines, is being implemented in two phases – Nordseecluster A and B. Nordseecluster A has a total capacity of 660 MW. Manufacturing of some key components has already started. Construction at sea is scheduled to begin next year. By the beginning of 2027, all 44 wind turbines should be connected to the grid. Nordseecluster B will add a further 900 MW of generating capacity. The 60 turbines comprising Nordseecluster B are scheduled to start commercial operation from the beginning of 2029. RWE does not have to make any lease payments to the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) for the Nordseecluster sites. The size of the cluster will provide synergy effects for RWE in the construction and subsequent operation of the wind farms. RWE says it will use the green electricity generated from the wind farms to support its industrial customers on the path to decarbonisation with customised energy solutions, noting that these customers increasingly include operators of AI data centres.
In May last year, RWE announced that it had bought out its co-developer of the Nordseecluster, Canada-based Northland Power, with Northland selling its 49%
RWE’s offshore wind portfolio in Germany, showing the planned Nordseecluster (image credit: RWE). In the past 20 years, RWE has put 19 offshore wind farms into operation in total, including six off the German coast. It has set itself the goal of tripling its global offshore wind capacity from the current 3.3 GW to 10 GW by 2030
shareholding in the cluster to RWE for €35 million.
Atlantique Offshore Energy, the maritime energy segment of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, has been named as preferred offshore transformer substation supplier for the Nordseecluster and has received orders for the supply of two offshore transformer substations, for NC1 and NC2, respectively, with foundations. The substations will connect to the DolWin 6 converter platform for HVDC transmission to shore.
Among other named preferred suppliers for the Nordseecluster are: Hellenic Cables, for cable manufacture; Havfram Wind, transport and installation of wind turbines using its installation vessels Norse Wind and Norse Energi; Dajin Offshore, manufacture of monopile foundations; and Van Oord,
installation of monopile foundations at sea, using its new jack-up vessel Boreas. This will be the first project for Boreas, which is currently under construction. Van Oord’s scope includes installation of a total of 104 extended monopiles as well as installation of scour protection. 44 monopiles, for NC1 and NC2, are planned for installation in 2025 and the remaining 60 monopiles, for NC3 and NC4, in 2027. Van Oord says Boreas will be the largest vessel of its kind, “purpose-built for the transport and installation of the next generation foundations and turbines for offshore wind farms.”
The jack-up vessel, with a crane capacity of more than 3000 tonnes, can install wind turbines of up to 20 MW at sea, and can operate on 100% green methanol. ●
Status of RWE’s Nordseecluster wind farms Capacity Status
(previously N-3.7, and before that Godewind) 225 MW Site secured in 2021; construction scheduled to NC2
Nordseecluster A NC1
start in 2025 (previously N-3.8, and before that Nordsee 2) 435 MW Site secured in 2021; construction scheduled to start in 2025
(previously N-3.5, and before that Nordsee 3) 420 MW NC4
Nordseecluster B NC3
(previously N-3.6, and before that Delta Nordsee 1&2)
Visualisation of Van Oord’s new Boreas jack-up vessel (image: Van Oord)
26 Total (A & B) 480 MW 1560 MW
Site secured in 2023; Seabed examinations in progress, approval process being prepared in consultation with BSH
Site secured in 2023; Seabed examinations in progress, approval process being prepared in consultation with BSH
World Wind Technology
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