Vattenfall has completed the installation of all 68 foundations at the Nordlicht I offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. Following the installation of the final monopile at the end of September, all transition pieces have now also been fitted.
Each foundation consists of a monopile anchored in the seabed and a transition piece connecting it to the wind turbine tower. EEW Special Pipe Constructions and CS WIND Offshore manufactured the foundations, while Deme was responsible for their transport and installation.
Work on other parts of the project is also progressing. TKF is manufacturing the cables, while Vestas is producing the turbine tower sections, with the first sections already delivered to Esbjerg. Production of the rotor blades and nacelles is expected to start in the coming months. Preparations for Nordlicht II are also proceeding as planned. First power from the Nordlicht cluster is expected in 2028, with full commissioning scheduled for 2029.
Environmental measures are being applied throughout construction. These include the use of lower-emission steel in parts of the turbine towers and measures to reduce the impact of foundation installation on the marine environment. Birds and marine mammals are being monitored using radar, camera and acoustic systems.
Located approximately 85 kilometres north of Borkum, Nordlicht I will have an installed capacity of around 980 MW. Together with Nordlicht II, which is planned to have a capacity of around 630 MW, the cluster will exceed 1.6 GW. Once fully operational, the two wind farms are expected to generate approximately 6 TWh of electricity annually.
