Vestas 15MW wind turbines for gigascale RWE-Northland North Sea offshore wind cluster
German and Canadian utilities have step-in rights for both phases of 1.6GW cluster off Germany, meaning they will gain the right to build it even if unsuccessful in tender
RWE and Northland Power have picked Vestas as preferred turbine supplier for their 1.6GW ‘Nordseecluster’ complex of four offshore wind sites in the German North Sea. A day later the OEM also won a preferred supplier deal for a 600MW South Korean offshore wind project.
The German and Canadian utilities still need to take an investment decision on the projects north of the island of Juist, which they are likely to take given the possibilities for economies of scale and synergies.
“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 Offshore Wind CEO Sven Utermöhlen said.
“RWE is making its contribution to this. This includes the collaborative delivery of the 1.6GW 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.”
The second phase, or Nordseecluster B, will add another 900MW, which are being auctioned off this year. Offshore construction there is slated to start in 2028, which commercial operation foreseen for 2029.
RWE and Northland hold step-in rights for both phases, meaning they will be able to gain the right to build and operate them even if their bid is not successful in tender.
“Once completed, the Nordseecluster will contribute significantly to add clean electricity to the German grid,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.
“This agreement also shows the competitiveness of the V236-15.0 MW wind turbine for projects scheduled in the second half of this decade.”
Preferred supplier also off South Korea
Vestas a day later (Wednesday) said that it has also been named preferred turbine supplier at the 600MW Wando Geumil offshore wind project by Korea South-East Power Company (KOEN).
The OEM is slated to supply 40 units of its V236-15.0MW machine to the project in Wando-gun off South Korea's South Jeolla province. The contract if it materialises comes with a 20-year service deal.
It would be Vestas's first collaboration with KOEN, said Srdan Cenic, country manager for Vestas Korea and head of sales in Asia Pacific.
"Through the project, KOEN and Vestas will work together to unleash the potential of offshore wind in the west coast of the country and contribute to South Korea’s goal of generating 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030," Cenic said.