German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency has issued planning approvals for the first phase of RWE’s 1.6GW Nordseecluster, which includes the construction of 660 MW Nordseecluster A offshore wind project.
The planning approval from the German authorities paves the way for the construction of Nordseecluster A, due to start in 2025 with full commissioning planned for early 2027, RWE said.
In May 2024, RWE made the investment decisions for the 1.6 GW Nordseecluster, which will be implemented in two phases – Norseecluster A and B.
Nordseecluster B will add a further 900 MW of capacity from early 2029. The entire project is expected to generate around 6.5 terawatt hours of electricity per year.
Suppliers of the main components for the first phase of the project have already been selected, with Atlantique Offshore Energy, Hellenic Cables, Dajin Offshore, Van Oord, and Vestas awarded various work scopes to deliver the scheme.
The 44 wind turbines of Nordseecluster A, each with a capacity of 15 MW, are expected to be fully connected to the grid in early 2027. The electricity generated will be transmitted via the DolWin Kappa converter platform.
“I am very pleased that the BSH’s approvals for Nordseecluster A means that we now have the green light to start offshore construction next year. We already have six wind farms off the German coast in our portfolio.
“With the Nordseecluster, we are forging ahead with the expansion of offshore wind energy. This is a good signal for the energy transition in Germany and for RWE,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind.
The Nordseecluster is being built around 46 kilometers north of the German island of Borkum and approximately 50 kilometers north of the German island of Juist.