In a significant move toward renewable energy expansion, German energy giant RWE has partnered with France’s TotalEnergies to jointly develop two large-scale offshore wind projects off the German coast, totaling 4 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity.
On October 7, the companies announced that TotalEnergies will acquire a 50% equity stake in the projects, N-9.1 and N-9.2, which were awarded to RWE in Germany’s recent offshore wind auction held in August. The collaboration will allow both firms to leverage their expertise and resources for the successful development of these ambitious projects.
Final investment decisions for the projects are expected in 2027 and 2028, with construction slated to begin in 2029 and 2030. The full commissioning of the wind farms is anticipated by 2031 and 2032, marking a significant step in Germany’s renewable energy goals.
RWE already operates 19 offshore wind farms, six of which are located off the German coastline. The new sites, situated approximately 70 miles northwest of Borkum Island, are set to each have a generation capacity of 2 GW.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We are delighted to welcome TotalEnergies onboard as our partner in the delivery of these large-scale offshore wind projects in our home market of Germany. As a trusted partner in our Dutch offshore wind project OranjeWind, TotalEnergies shares our ambition to further drive the growth of offshore wind energy to accelerate the energy transition in Germany and beyond.”
Olivier Jouny, Senior Vice President of Renewables at TotalEnergies, noted the importance of this collaboration: “We are pleased to strengthen our ties with RWE, a key player in renewables and our partner in the OranjeWind project in the Netherlands. This new partnership contributes to our integrated development in the German electricity market, the largest in Europe, and will enable TotalEnergies to provide green electrons to decarbonize the country’s electricity and industry.”
In addition to these new projects, RWE is currently constructing four major offshore wind farms, including the Sofia offshore wind farm (1.4 GW) in the UK and the Thor offshore project (1.1 GW) in Denmark. The company is also working on the 795-MW OranjeWind offshore wind farm in the Netherlands in collaboration with TotalEnergies.
Moreover, RWE is developing the Nordseecluster, which will have a total capacity of 1.6 GW, located north of the island of Juist in Germany. RWE aims to triple its global offshore wind capacity from the current 3.3 GW to 10 GW by 2030, reinforcing its commitment to a sustainable energy future.
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