Germany Inaugurates Record 960MW Offshore Wind Farm

TDT | Manama

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Germany has officially inaugurated He Dreiht, the country's largest offshore wind farm, marking a major milestone in its expansion of renewable energy.

Developed by German energy company EnBW, the €2.4 billion project is located in the North Sea, about 85 kilometres northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometres west of Heligoland. With a total capacity of 960 megawatts, the wind farm can generate enough electricity to supply around 1.1 million households.

He Dreiht consists of 64 Vestas turbines, each capable of producing 15MW. Their 236-metre rotors are among the largest used in offshore wind projects, allowing the farm to generate substantial amounts of electricity with fewer turbines.

One of the project's key features is its subsidy-free financing model. EnBW won the development rights with a zero-cent bid, meaning the project does not rely on government subsidies or guaranteed feed-in tariffs. Instead, long-term power purchase agreements with companies including Google, DHL, Bosch, Evonik and Deutsche Bahn helped provide a market-based revenue structure.

EnBW holds a 50.1% stake, with the remaining 49.9% owned by financial investors.

The project is expected to support Germany's target of expanding offshore wind capacity to 30GW by 2030, while demonstrating the potential for large-scale renewable projects to attract private investment.