Nordseecluster: RWE and Northland Power select Vestas as preferred supplier for their 1.6 GW offshore wind cluster off the German coast

• A minimum of 104 wind turbines, each with an installed capacity of 15 megawatts expected to be installed off the German island of Juist starting in 2026
• The permit application for Nordseecluster A, which has 660 megawatts of capacity, is ongoing
• Nordseecluster B, totalling 900 megawatts, is eligible for the German auctions in July 2023. RWE and Northland Power jointly hold step-in rights
• Significant synergies in development, construction and operation of the four cluster projects to be leveraged

RWE and Northland Power are making significant progress on the deployment of their Nordseecluster. The companies have selected Vestas as the preferred supplier for their up to 1.6-gigawatt (GW) cluster consisting of four offshore wind farm sites in the German North Sea. A minimum of 104 Vestas offshore wind turbines (Type: V236-15.0 MW) with a capacity of 15 megawatts (MW) each are planned to be installed north of the island of Juist. A service contract for the wind turbines will be also included. All deliverables are subject to the final investment decision for the individual phases of Nordseecluster (A and B).

Last year, RWE (51%) and Northland Power (49%) established a joint venture to develop the Nordseecluster. The partners expect to achieve substantial economies of scale and leverage synergies during the development, construction and subsequent operation of the four wind farm sites. The preferred supplier agreement (PSA) recently signed with Vestas, which encompasses all four projects, reflects the efficiency created when bundling activities such as procurement.

Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind: “The expansion of renewable energies must be rigorously driven forward. Faster offshore expansion is particularly important to simultaneously achieve climate targets and to create more energy independence. RWE is making its contribution to this. This includes the collaborative delivery of the 1.6-gigawatt Nordseecluster with Northland Power, through which we can achieve considerable synergies at our new wind farms, while at the same time actively supporting the energy transition in our home market Germany.”

David Povall, Executive Vice President of Offshore Wind, Northland Power: “This is an important milestone for the Nordseecluster and we appreciate all the OEM participation throughout procurement process. Having clarity on the market and the cost of delivering an offshore wind farm is crucial.”

The Nordseecluster will be constructed in two phases: Two wind farms (N-3.8 and N-3.7) with a combined capacity of 660 MW are currently in the permit application phase. Turbine installation at sea is expected to start in 2026, with commercial operation in early 2027. Of the 104 Vestas turbines in total, 44 are reserved for this initial stage (Nordseecluster A). The two wind farms (N-3.6 and N-3.5) of the second phase (Nordseecluster B) will add a further 900 MW of capacity. For both sites the partners plan to bid and to exercise their step-in rights in the German Government’s offshore wind auctions this year – as they did in 2021 for the sites N-3.8 and N-3.7. Offshore construction works for Nordseeclsuter B are scheduled to begin in 2028 with commercial operation to start beginning of 2029.

Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe: “We are proud to announce this preferred supplier agreement with RWE and Northland Power, two important partners, to jointly support the German energy targets and increase the security of energy supply. Once completed, the Nordseecluster will contribute significantly to add clean electricity to the German grid. This agreement also shows the competitiveness of the V236-15.0 MW wind turbine for projects scheduled in the second half of this decade.”

The Nordseecluster will be in close proximity to the existing 332 MW Nordsee One wind farm which RWE and Northland Power co-developed and continue to operate jointly. In order to deploy the cluster, the partners will rely on experienced suppliers, like Vestas, and on their own expertise in offshore wind.

For more information about the Nordseecluster, please visit: https://nordseecluster.com/

Northland Power
Northland Power is a global power producer dedicated to helping the clean energy transition by producing electricity from clean renewable resources. Founded in 1987, Northland has a long history of developing, building, owning and operating clean and green power infrastructure assets and is a global leader in offshore wind. In addition, Northland owns and manages a diversified generation mix including onshore renewables, efficient natural gas energy, as well as supplying energy through a regulated utility. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with global offices in eight countries, Northland owns or has an economic interest in 3.0 GW (net 2.6 GW) of operating capacity. The Company also has a significant inventory of projects in construction and in various stages of development encompassing over 20 GW of potential capacity.

Vestas

Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions designing, manufacturing, installing, and servicing wind turbines across the globe, and with +164 GW of wind turbines in 87 countries, Vestas have installed more wind power than anyone else. Through industry-leading smart data capabilities and +144 GW of wind turbines under service, Vestas use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind power solutions. Together with their customers, Vestas’ more than 28,000 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future.

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