Vattenfall has announced its plans to develop a 630MW offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. The Swedish energy company obtained the right to embark on the ambitious project, named Nordlicht 2, after exercising its right of entry.
Nordlicht 2 is set to be a substantial addition to the burgeoning offshore wind energy sector. This development follows Vattenfall's exercise of its right of entry for the N-7.2 wind farm area in September 2022, which is slated to house the Nordlicht 1 wind farm with an impressive installed capacity of 980MW. Both these projects were auctioned off by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) as part of the transition to tendering procedures for offshore wind energy.
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The combined installed capacity of these two wind farms will be a formidable 1610MW, contributing significantly to Germany's ambitious expansion target for offshore wind energy, which aims to reach 30GW.
Christian Barthélémy, Head of Germany at Vattenfall, emphasized the importance of these investments, stating, “With investments in the Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farms, we are making an important contribution to achieving the German expansion target for offshore wind of 30GW. Despite the recently much more difficult framework conditions under which the entire industry is suffering, we are hereby flying the flag for offshore wind energy in Germany. In view of the recent sharp rise in costs for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms, we expect possible synergies at two neighboring wind farms, which could have a cost-dampening effect.”
Notably, Nordlicht 2 was originally known as Atlantis 1 and was acquired by Vattenfall in 2017. However, with the introduction of a new offshore wind tendering system, the project area underwent another auction process. Vattenfall, holding the right of entry, seized this opportunity to further its commitment to offshore wind energy development in the region.
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The Nordlicht 1 project, on the other hand, had initially been awarded to RWE Renewables in a German government-led central tender process. Still, Vattenfall's prior partial development of the site under a previous regime allowed them to match the bid and exercise their right to step in.
Pending final investment decisions, Nordlicht 1 is scheduled to be connected to the grid by 2027, with Nordlicht 2 following suit in 2028. These developments mark a significant milestone in Germany's pursuit of renewable energy sources and underscore Vattenfall's dedication to contributing to the country's green energy goals.
