RWE Is Now Sole Owner Of 1.6-GW Nordseecluster Offshore Wind Project

RWE has said that it has strengthened its position in the German offshore wind market as it has become the sole owner of 1.6-GW cluster of offshore wind farms in the German North Sea. The Nordseecluster, consisting of four sites located north of the island of Juist, was formerly co-developed with Canadian company Northland Power, which has now sold its 49% shareholding in the cluster to RWE.

RWE and Northland Power have agreed on a purchase price of approximately EUR35 million.

Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind, said that becoming the sole owner of the Nordseecluster aligns with the firm’s ambition to further grow its position as a global leader in offshore wind. “As it will be Germany’s first gigawatt-scale offshore wind cluster, it will provide us with significant size and scale. When the Nordseecluster becomes operational in 2027 and 2029, we will be supporting the decarbonisation drive in our home market of Germany by generating around six terawatt hours of green electricity per year. And we are going for even more as we plan to take part in the large German offshore wind auctions in summer this year.”

The Nordseecluster will be constructed in two phases; namely Nordseecluster A and B. Two wind farms (N-3.8 and N-3.7, called Nordseecluster A) with a combined capacity of 660 MW are currently in the permit application phase. For Nordseecluster A offshore works are expected to start in 2025, with commercial operations starting in early 2027.

The two more wind farms (N-3.6 and N-3.5) of the second phase (Nordseecluster B) are expected to add an additional 900 MW of capacity as of 2029.

Latest Developments In Nordseecluster

RWE recently said that preferred suppliers of main components for all four sites have been selected. Vestas will be delivering 104 offshore wind turbines with a capacity of 15 MW each. RWE expects to achieve substantial economies of scale and leverage synergies during the development, construction and subsequent operation of the Nordseecluster.

In addition, RWE said that it will use its extensive in-house capabilities to provide tailored green solutions to support the decarbonisation journey of its industrial and municipal customers.

The Nordseecluster will be in close proximity to the existing 332-MW Nordsee One wind farm, which RWE will continue to operate jointly with Northland Power.