RWE installs two substations for Nordseecluster A

Key highlights
  • Two offshore substations (~40 m long, 22 m high; 1,800 t and 2,500 t) were built in Saint‑Nazaire and installed ~50 km north of Juist using SCALDIS's heavy‑lift crane Gulliver.
  • Nordseecluster A: foundations completed end 2025, cable‑laying underway, 44 turbines installation starts summer 2026 and full commissioning scheduled for 2027 with 660 MW capacity.
  • Nordseecluster B: planning permission granted end March, 60 turbines to deliver 900 MW with commissioning from 2029, bringing total project capacity to 1.6 GW.
  • Project owned by RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%), with topsides manufactured by Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

Substation installation

Two offshore substations (≈40 m long, 22 m high; topside weights ~1,800 t and ~2,500 t) were fabricated in Saint‑Nazaire by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, transported across the North Sea and placed onto preinstalled foundations roughly 50 km north of Juist using SCALDIS’s floating heavy‑lift crane "Gulliver". Foundations were installed at the end of 2025.

Electrical configuration

Nordseecluster A uses two separate grid connections, so each substation collects turbine output and steps it up to transmission voltage before transfer to the grid operator’s converter station for export to shore.

Timeline, capacity and ownership

Cable‑laying within the farm is under way; installation of 44 turbines starts in summer 2026 and full commissioning of Nordseecluster A (660 MW) is scheduled for early 2027. Nordseecluster B received planning permission at the end of March, will add 60 turbines for 900 MW from the beginning of 2029, bringing total project capacity to 1.6 GW (approximately the equivalent of 1.6 million German households). The project is owned 51% by RWE and 49% by Norges Bank Investment Management.