RWE and Northland Power have selected cable solutions provider Hellenic Cables as their preferred cable supplier for the 1.6GW Nordseecluster offshore wind project in Germany.
To be developed in the North Sea, about 50km north of Juist island, the Nordseecluster project consists of four offshore wind farm sites.
The Greek company will deliver nearly 185km of 66kV aluminium and copper conductor cables for the German offshore wind project.
Northland Power Nordseecluster managing director Benjamin Miethling said: “Use in offshore wind farms places particularly high demands on cables. We are pleased to have signed this preferred supplier agreement with Hellenic Cables – a leader in this market.
“Through agreements like this, we also leverage synergies during the development, construction and operation of the four wind farm sites of our Nordseecluster.”
RWE and Northland Power formed a joint venture (JV) in 2022 with stakes of 51% and 49%, respectively, to construct the Nordseecluster project.
The offshore wind project will be developed in two phases, said RWE.
The first phase called Nordseecluster A, which will have a total capacity of 660MW from two offshore wind farms, is currently in the permit application phase.
Nordseecluster B, which is the second phase of the project, will add a further 900MW capacity with the remaining two offshore wind farms.
Both companies seek to bid and exercise their step-in rights in the German government’s offshore wind auctions to be held this year for the second phase of the project.
Cable installation for the first phase of the offshore wind project is anticipated to be delivered towards the end of 2025, while commercial operations are expected to start in early 2027.
The cable delivery for Nordseecluster B is slated in late 2027 and its commercial operation planned to be achieved in early 2029.
The cables from Hellenic Cables will connect 44 wind turbines with two offshore substations in Nordseecluster A and 60 wind turbines of Nordseecluster B which will be directly routed into the converter of the transmission system operator.
Hellenic Cables general manager Kostas Savvakis said: “It is a great honour for Hellenic Cables to have been once again selected by RWE and Northland Power as the preferred supplier for a project – the strategic offshore wind cluster in the German North Sea (the Nordseecluster).”
Once fully operational, the Nordseecluster project is expected to generate clean energy sufficient to power 1,600,000 German households annually.
