EnBW has inaugurated the He Dreiht offshore wind farm in the German North Sea, making it the largest offshore wind farm in Germany, with an installed capacity of 960 MW. The project comprises 64 wind turbines and is expected to be fully operational in the coming months as the remaining turbines are connected to the grid and commissioned.

According to EnBW, the inauguration was attended by Carsten Schneider, Germany’s Federal Environment Minister. The project is jointly owned by EnBW and a consortium comprising Allianz Global Investors, AIP Management and Norges Bank Investment Management.

He Dreiht is located around 85 kilometres northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometres west of Heligoland. Once fully operational, the wind farm will be capable of supplying electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of around 1.1 million households, according to EnBW.

€2.4 billion investment without state funding

The wind farm represents an investment of around €2.4 billion and was awarded to EnBW in 2017 in Germany’s first offshore wind auction, without entitlement to state funding.

EnBW holds a 50.1% stake in the project through its project company, while the remaining 49.9% is owned by the consortium comprising Allianz Global Investors on behalf of Allianz entities, AIP Management and Norges Bank Investment Management.

Instead of state funding, the project is being financed through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs). EnBW said these agreements provide companies with long-term price stability and planning certainty while supporting their decarbonisation targets.

The contractual partners include Evonik, Google, PASM Power & Air Solutions, Fraport, Bosch, Salzgitter, SHS Stahl-Holding Saar, Deutsche Bahn and DHL Group.

PASM, the telecommunications subsidiary involved in the project, has secured approximately 100 MW of offshore wind capacity for Deutsche Telekom through a 15-year PPA, according to EnBW.

64 turbines and 960 MW of capacity

Construction of He Dreiht began in the North Sea in May 2024. At peak periods, more than 500 people worked on the project, while more than 60 vessels were involved in construction activities.

The wind farm consists of 64 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines, each with an output of 15 MW and a rotor diameter of 236 metres. The turbines have a hub height of 142 metres, while each rotor covers an area of around 44,000 square metres per revolution, equivalent to approximately six football fields.

The project has also involved a European supply chain. EnBW said the 64 foundations, consisting of steel pipes nine metres in diameter and 70 metres long, were manufactured entirely in Germany. The connecting elements between the foundations and the towers were produced in Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Poland.

Components were transported to the construction site from the base ports of Esbjerg in Denmark and Eemshaven in the Netherlands.

The wind farm is connected to the German electricity grid by TenneT. Electricity is transported to the coast through an offshore platform and two submarine cables.

Commissioning continues

Although construction of the wind farm has been completed, commissioning is taking place in stages. The individual turbines are being connected to the grid, tested and brought into operation one by one.

EnBW said the first turbines are already feeding electricity into the grid, with the remaining units expected to follow. Based on the current progress, the company expects He Dreiht to be fully operational in the coming months.

The project forms part of EnBW’s wider expansion of renewable energy. The company currently has around 8 GW of installed renewable generation capacity, more than twice its level in 2018, with renewables accounting for more than 70% of its total installed generation capacity.

EnBW aims for renewables to account for around 80% of its generation portfolio by the end of 2030. The company is also developing further offshore wind projects, including Dreekant, a 1 GW project in the German North Sea, and Morven, a 2.9 GW project in Scotland.