RWE celebrated the halfway point on the high seas as the 22nd wind turbine was installed around 50 kilometres north of the German island of Juist and half of the turbines for the first construction phase of the Nordseecluster are now in place. Each of the Vestas turbines has a capacity of up to 15 megawatts (MW). They are transported on DEME’s installation vessel Norse Wind and then installed at sea.
Tobias Keitel, CTO RWE Offshore Wind told us: “Unlike in sports, halftime does not mean that our teams are taking a break. They are working relentlessly every day to install and commission further wind turbines. With a total of 1.6 GWs, the Nordseecluster is currently our largest offshore wind project under construction. Once it is in full operation, it will strengthen Germany’s energy security and at the same time contribute towards the decarbonisation of the industry.”
By the end of 2026 it is expected that all 44 Vestas turbines of the first construction phase, Nordseecluster A, will be in place. Testing and commissioning of the individual turbines will take place step by step. The first turbine began to produce electricity and feed it into the grid at the end of July. Nordseecluster A, with a total capacity of 660 MW, will be fully connected to the grid at the beginning of 2027.
The second expansion phase – Nordseecluster B – will add a further 900 MW of capacity. Production of the foundations has already begun and they are scheduled to be installed next year, followed by the installation of the 60 Vestas turbines in 2028. Nordseecluster B is scheduled to commence commercial operations in early 2029.
Together, the Nordseecluster wind farms will generate around 6.5 terawatt hours of climate-friendly electricity annually. RWE will use this to support its industrial customers on the path to decarbonisation with customised energy solutions. These customers increasingly include technology companies such as Amazon, with whom RWE signed a PPA earlier this year for 110 MW from Nordseecluster B.
Nordseecluster is a joint project between RWE (51% share) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49% share). RWE is responsible for the construction and subsequent operation of the Nordseecluster.
