German utility EnBW has completed the installation of the first wind turbine at its 960-megawatt (MW) He Dreiht offshore wind farm, marking a key milestone in the development of what will be one of the largest renewable energy projects in the country.
Located roughly 85 kilometres northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometres west of Heligoland, the He Dreiht wind farm will feature 64 turbines, each with a capacity of 15MW supplied by Vestas. It is the first time the Danish manufacturer’s V236-15.0 MW turbine has been deployed in a commercial project.
“With the installation of the first V236-15.0 MW, we have reached an important milestone both for He Dreiht and for our offshore expansion,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe. “This will help Germany to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.”
According to EnBW, a single rotation of the turbine’s rotor can supply four households with power for an entire day. Once completed, the project is expected to generate enough electricity to power around 1.1 million homes.
“EnBW He Dreiht is our largest offshore project to date and does not require government subsidies,” said Michael Class, head of generation portfolio development at EnBW. “It will make a significant contribution to achieving our goal of significantly increasing installed capacity from renewable energies from the current 6.6GW to over 10GW by 2030.”
The construction effort involves more than 500 workers at peak times and over 60 vessels, with coordination managed by EnBW’s offshore office in Hamburg. The 64 turbine foundations were installed in 2023, and the installation vessel Wind Orca transported the turbine components from Esbjerg, Denmark, to the site, completing the first installation after a 12-hour sea journey.
Internal cabling across the wind park is progressing in parallel with turbine installation. EnBW remains the project developer, while 49.9% of He Dreiht is owned by a consortium of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP, and Norges Bank Investment Management.
