As the preferred provider of the inter-array cables for their up to 1.6 GW Nordseecluster development in the German North Sea, a cluster consisting of four offshore wind farm sites, RWE and Northland Power have selected the Greek cable manufacturer Hellenic Cables.
Around 185 kilometres of 66-kV aluminium and copper conductor cables will be supplied by Hellenic Cables to connect the 44 wind turbines in Nordseecluster A to two offshore substations and the 60 wind turbines in Nordseecluster B to the converter at the transmission system operator.
The cables will be produced at the Hellenic Cables factory in Sousaki, Corinth, Greece. Two offshore wind farms will be included in each of the Nordseecluster's two construction phases, Nordseecluster A and Nordseecluster B.
The permitting process for the two Nordseecluster A wind farms (N-3.8 and N-3.7), which have a combined capacity of 660 MW, is presently underway. Early 2027 will begin the first phase, with 44 Vestas and 15 MW wind turbines.
However, the installation of subsea cables is forecasted to be accomplished by the end of 2025. RWE and Northland Power want to secure the two sites (N-3.6 and N-3.5) for the 900 MW Nordseecluster B by bidding and utilising the step-in rights in the German offshore wind auctions this year, just as they did for the sites for the Nordseecluster A in 2021. By 2029, this second phase is expected to be completed. Cable delivery for Nordseecluster B will be in late 2027.
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