RWE has installed the first turbine foundation for its 1.6 gigawatt (GW) Nordseecluster offshore wind project, located approximately 50 kilometres north of the German island of Juist in the North Sea.
The installation marks a key milestone in the development of what is currently the largest offshore wind initiative off the German coast. The project is being developed in partnership with Norges Bank Investment Management.
“With the 1.6GW Nordseecluster we together with our partner Norges Bank Investment Management are delivering what is currently the largest offshore wind project off the German coast,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind. “Installing the first monopile is a significant milestone for the entire team, following years of planning and preparation.”
The monopile foundations were transported from Eemshaven, a heavy-lift terminal in the Netherlands, to the construction site using Van Oord’s newly deployed offshore installation vessel, Boreas. Each foundation is approximately 85 metres long and weighs around 1,500 metric tonnes. The vessel can carry up to four monopiles per trip.
The Nordseecluster is being built in two phases. The initial stage, Nordseecluster A, will consist of 44 turbines with a combined capacity of 660 megawatts (MW). Turbine installation is slated to begin in 2026, with the phase expected to be operational by early 2027.
The second phase, Nordseecluster B, will add a further 60 turbines with a total capacity of 900MW. Commercial operations for this stage are scheduled to commence in early 2029.
Upon completion, the full cluster is projected to generate enough renewable electricity to power the equivalent of 1.6 million German households.
