RWE continues to advance the development of the Nordseecluster, a cluster of four 1.6 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind farms in the German North Sea. The company has selected Atlantique Offshore Energy, the offshore energy business unit of French company Chantiers de l’Atlantique, as the preferred supplier for two offshore electrical substations.
Sven Schulemann, RWE Managing Director of the Nordseecluster: “With this agreement, we have passed the next milestone on the way to completing the first two offshore wind farms in our Nordseecluster. When they go live in 2027, we will make an additional contribution to support the decarbonization drive in our local market. After the successful delivery of the Arkona offshore substation in 2018, we look forward to working with Atlantique Offshore Energy again.”
The Nordseecluster will be built in two phases. For the two wind farms of the initial phase (N-3.8 and N-3.7, named Nordseecluster A) with a combined capacity of 660 megawatts (MW), Atlantique Offshore Energy will design, build, install and commission the necessary offshore substations. These substations will collect and export the power generated by the individual wind turbines via high-voltage submarine cables, while remotely controlling and monitoring the operation of the wind farm. Design work has already begun, with the permit application process expected to begin in 2024, with full installation, including substation commissioning, scheduled for 2026.
Frédéric Grizaud, Director of Atlantique Offshore Energy: “The signing of this agreement is excellent news for our Atlantique Offshore Energy teams and for all the business fabric that works with us on the construction of the substations, which will come into service in 2026. We are very happy and proud to welcome a world leader in our industry like RWE as a repeat customer and to contribute to the very dynamic development of the German offshore wind market.”
Nordseecluster is expected to produce green electricity for 1,600,000 German homes
The two wind farms (N-3.6 and N-3.5) of Nordseecluster B are expected to add an additional 900 MW of capacity from 2029. For both Nordseecluster B sites, RWE plans to bid and exercise its rights of intervention in the auctions of offshore wind energy from the German government this year. When the four wind farms in the Nordseecluster come online, they will be able to produce green electricity to power the equivalent of 1,600,000 German homes every year.
