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RWE Gets Permits to Build Denmark’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

offshore wind farm
RWE will begin offshore construction in 205 for Denmark's largest offshore wind farm (Kaskasi construction photo RWE)

Published Oct 31, 2024 6:01 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The Danish Energy Agency granted RWE the offshore construction permit to proceed with work on what will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm, the 1.1 GW Thor project. The company reports it will proceed as planned starting offshore construction in the spring of 2025, which is just four years after it won the tender for the site. It is also part of Denmark and Europe’s next phase of growth in offshore and renewable energy development.

RWE says good progress is already being made on land, with the laying of cables and the construction of an onshore substation for this future site. Thor will be able to produce enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households and will employ innovations for the industry.

“We are also leading the way with investments in new sustainable technology with recyclable rotor blades and turbine towers made of greener steel,” said Thomas Michel, COO for RWE Offshore Wind. “Denmark is already a pioneer when it comes to renewable energy and innovative solutions. We are proud to contribute to this journey with Thor.”

Located approximately 22 kilometers (14 miles) off the west coast of Jutland, Thor will consist of 72 wind turbines. Half of the turbines will be equipped with CO2-reduced steel towers and 40 turbines will use recyclable rotor blades.

With all the permits now in place to start construction, RWE will begin early in 2025 to prepare the seabed for the construction activities, which will kick off in spring when the foundations are installed. Turbine installation, which will be from the port of Esbjerg, is scheduled to begin in 2026. The port of Thorsminde will serve as an operation and maintenance base, with construction of RWE’s new service building expected to start later this year. Thor is expected to be fully operational by no later than the end of 2027.

RWE already operates 19 offshore wind farms, including Rødsand 2 off the Danish coast. Besides Thor in Denmark, the company is currently building three large-scale offshore wind farms which include the Sofia offshore wind farm (1.4 GW) in the UK, the Nordseecluster (1.6 GW) off the German coast and, together with TotalEnergies, the OranjeWind offshore wind farm (795 MW) in the Netherlands. RWE aims to triple its global offshore wind capacity from 3.3 GW today to 10 GW by 2030.