Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) has agreed to take 49% stakes in the RWE-operated Nordseecluster and Thor offshore wind developments in the North Sea for about €1.4 billion ($1.52 billion), according to a March 31 RWE news release.
RWE will continue to manage construction and operations for both projects. Closing of the transaction should follow by early third-quarter 2025, subject to approvals.
The Nordseecluster, 50 km north of the island of Juist in the German Bight, is a two-phase development. Nordseecluster A (660 MW) is set to be fully commissioned in 2027, with commissioning of Nordseecluster B (900 MW) scheduled for 2029.
Offshore construction for Nordseecluster A should get underway later this year, with all the wind turbines due to be fully connected to Germany’s grid by early 2027. Nordseecluster B should start commercial operation early in 2029.
Nordseecluster is the most southerly set of offshore projects within the exclusive economic zone, bordered to the north and south by main shipping traffic separation routes.
Thor, Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date (1.08 MW), is 22 km offshore the west coast of Jutland in the North Sea and should be fully commissioned in 2027.
Siemens Gamesa is supplying 72 SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbines for the Thor project.
EEW Special Pipe Constructions GmbH (EEW SPC) is manufacturing 36 of the monopile foundations, with a further 36 monopile foundations and secondary structures to be delivered by Dajin Offshore.
The foundations, designed by Wood Thilsted, will each be up to 100 m tall. Jan De Nul Group will start installing the foundations later this year, and the company is also in a consortium with Hellenic Cables providing the subsea power cables package.
This will comprise 60 km of export cables on the 30-km cable route from the offshore wind farm to the shore, and about 200 km of inter-array cables connecting the turbines to the offshore substation.
Offshore installation and commissioning of the cable system will also take place this year.
Fred.Olsen Windcarrier, which has been part of the offshore wind industry since 2008, will provide the installation vessel for the turbines, with activity starting in 2026.
