RWE erhält grünes Licht für Bau von Offshore-Windparks in der Nordsee

„RWE plans bigger Windparks in the North Sea“

Renewable energy giant RWE has received approval to commence the construction of two more offshore wind parks in the German North Sea, to the north of the East Frisian island of Borkum. The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in Hamburg granted the necessary permits for the NC1 and NC2 wind parks in mid-June, as announced by both the authority and the company on Tuesday. A permit from the BSH is equivalent to a construction permit.

RWE includes the NC1 and NC2 wind parks in a group of wind parks known as the Nordseecluster. This cluster, situated approximately 46 kilometers north of Borkum, is set to expand to a capacity of 1.6 gigawatts (GW). According to the company, this amount of wind energy is sufficient to theoretically power 1.6 million households.

Both wind parks are part of the initial development phase of the Nordseecluster, as revealed by RWE. Starting from next year, a total of 44 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 15 megawatts (MW), will be installed. The planned turbines have a rotor diameter of 236 meters, surpassing the height of the Cologne Cathedral at almost 160 meters. The manufacturing of the components has already commenced, with unmanned converter platforms planned for each wind park. The wind turbines are expected to be fully operational by early 2027.

RWE has been expanding its offshore wind business in recent years. The Essen-based company currently operates 19 offshore wind parks, six of which are located off the German coast. Sven Utermöhlen, the head of RWE Offshore Wind, stated, „With the Nordseecluster, we are furthering the expansion of offshore wind energy. This is a positive development for Germany’s energy transition and for RWE.“

The German federal government is aiming to significantly increase offshore wind energy production to meet climate targets and bridge the energy gap resulting from the phase-out of coal and nuclear power. In 2022, the government revised its offshore goals, targeting a minimum of 30 gigawatts of wind energy by 2030 and at least 70 gigawatts by 2045.

The president of the BSH, Helge Heegewaldt, emphasized the importance of the approved permits in achieving the objectives outlined in the Offshore Wind Energy Act for efficient offshore wind energy expansion. Currently, the North and Baltic Seas have an installed capacity of around 8.6 gigawatts. „With the current plan approval decisions, we have added another building block to meet the objectives of the Offshore Wind Energy Act for the efficient expansion of offshore wind energy,“ stated Heegewaldt.