RWE is making further progress on developing the Nordseecluster, a 1.6-gigawatt (GW) cluster of four offshore wind farms in the German North Sea. The company has selected Atlantique Offshore Energy, the marine energy business unit of French company Chantiers de l’Atlantique, as the preferred supplier for two electrical offshore substations.
Sven Schulemann, RWE’s 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 of our Nordseecluster. When they become operational in 2027, we will be making a further contribution towards supporting the decarbonisation drive in our home market. After the successful delivery of the Arkona offshore substation in 2018, we are looking forward to working with Atlantique Offshore Energy again.”
The Nordseecluster will be constructed in two phases. For the two wind farms of the initial phase (N-3.8 and N-3.7, called Nordseecluster A) with a combined capacity of 660 megawatts (MW), Atlantique Offshore Energy will design, construct, install and commission the necessary offshore substations. These substations will collect and export the power generated by the individual wind turbines through high voltage submarine cables, while remotely controlling and monitoring the operation of the wind farm. The design work has already started, with the permit application process expected to begin in 2024, and full installation including commissioning of the substation scheduled for 2026.
Frédéric Grizaud, Director of Atlantique Offshore Energy: “The signing of this agreement is excellent news for our teams at Atlantique Offshore Energy and the entire business network working with us to build the substations, to be commissioned by 2026. We are very happy and proud to welcome a worldwide leader of our industry like RWE as a return customer and to contribute to the very dynamic development of the German offshore wind market.”
Nordseecluster expected to produce green electricity for 1,600,000 German households
The two wind farms (N-3.6 and N-3.5) of Nordseecluster B are expected to add an additional 900 MW of capacity as of 2029. For both sites of Nordseecluster B, RWE plans to bid and to exercise its step-in rights in the German government’s offshore wind auctions this year. When all four wind farms of the Nordseecluster are in operation, they will be able of producing green electricity to supply the equivalent of 1,600,000 German households every year.