Progress is being made on Thor, Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date. RWE has selected the preferred suppliers for all main components for the wind farm. With a planned capacity of more than 1,000 megawatts, Thor will be built in the Danish North Sea, approximately 22 kilometres from Thorsminde on the west coast of Jutland. Once fully operational, which is planned no later than end of 2027, Thor should be capable of producing enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind: “With Thor, we will massively contribute towards Denmark’s ambitious climate targets. In order to deploy this offshore project, we will rely on our track record of more than 20 years in offshore wind and on experienced suppliers. Based on an extensive procurement process we selected the preferred suppliers and booked the necessary production slots for all main components. This is an important step towards implementing this large-scale project – especially against the backdrop of the current market situation.”
Wind turbines and foundations
36 monopile foundations will be manufactured by EEW SPC and further 36 monopile foundations and secondary structures will be delivered by Dajin Offshore. The foundations, which are up to 100 metres in length, will weigh approximately 1,500 tonnes. The Danish-British engineering company, Wood Thilsted, are the designers of the foundations. Jan De Nul Group will provide the vessel for the foundation installation works, which are expected to be carried out in 2025.
Siemens Gamesa has been selected to deliver 72 offshore wind turbines (SG 14-236 DD). 36 turbines will be equipped with CO2-reduced steel towers. The GreenerTower will ensure a CO2 reduction of at least 63 percent in the tower steel plates compared to conventional steel. By being the first developer in the world piloting these towers, RWE makes a significant step towards producing even more sustainable wind power.
Fred.Olsen Windcarrier will provide the vessel for the turbine installation. The installation works are scheduled to be carried out from the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark, starting in 2026. Both RWE and Siemens Gamesa intend to draw on the skilled local workforce during both construction and commissioning of the project, both in the harbour as well as offshore.
Transmission system
A joint venture between Hellenic Cables and Jan De Nul Group was selected to provide the entire cable package. The two companies will manufacture and install 60 kilometres of export cables on the 30-kilometre-long cable route from the offshore wind farm to shore and approximately 200 kilometres of inter-array cables. Offshore installation and commissioning of the cable system is expected in 2025.
In addition, the joint venture will manufacture and install the onshore cables from the landfall to the onshore substation, which will be built by Siemens Energy in the municipality of Lemvig. Siemens Energy will carry out the civil engineering and construction works together with MT Højgaard Danmark, one of Denmark’s leading companies for large-scale building and infrastructure projects. It is expected that construction activities for the onshore substation can be kicked off in the next couple of weeks.
HSM Offshore Energy has been selected for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the offshore high voltage substation and its jacket foundation. Installation of the jacket foundation and substation topside is expected to take place in 2025 – followed by the commissioning and testing of the offshore substation in 2026.
RWE in Denmark
RWE is a leading global player in renewables. Globally RWE is investing more than €50 billion gross by 2030 to grow its green core business. As part of this, the Thor project will help to support the company’s goal to grow its global offshore wind capacity from 3.3 to 8 gigawatts by the end of the decade. Since 2010, RWE has already completed and now operates the Danish Rødsand 2 offshore wind farm, which is located south of the Danish island of Lolland. RWE has offices in Copenhagen and Thorsminde and an operation and maintenance base in Rødby. RWE employs around 75 people in Denmark.