Posted on February 3, 2025
Once fully operational, the Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farms are expected to provide 1.7 million German households with green energy. With this new contract, Jan De Nul now has six subsea cable projects for offshore wind energy lined up in Germany.
1.7 million German households
The Nordlicht wind park zone is located 85 kilometres north of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea and consists of two separate sites: Nordlicht 1 with a capacity of 980 megawatts and Nordlicht 2 with 630 megawatts. Pending a final investment decision, which is expected in 2025, offshore construction for Nordlicht 1 and 2 is anticipated to begin in 2026, with full operational status expected by 2028.
Once fully operational, their combined production is expected to be around 6 terawatt hours (TWh) per year, equal to the electricity consumption of 1.7 million German households. This represents significant progress in Germany’s target of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045.
Nordlicht is the sixth cable project for offshore renewable energy we have lined up in Germany.
Wouter Vermeersch
Director Subsea Cables at Jan De Nul
196 kilometres of cables
Vattenfall develops the sites and has now awarded several contracts for the construction of both wind farms. Jan De Nul won the contract to install inter-array cables that transmit electricity between offshore wind turbines. Both wind farms combined, Jan De Nul will install 196 kilometres of cables and ensure their connection to 112 wind turbines. The ‘World Builders’ company will use its cable installation vessel ‘Connector’ for the job.
Wouter Vermeersch, Director Subsea Cables at Jan De Nul:
Our offshore installation vessels will be omnipresent in German waters the next few years. Nordlicht is the sixth cable project for offshore renewable energy we have lined up in Germany. Adding to the installation of 107 foundations on Borkum Riffgrund 3 & Gode Wind 3 in 2024, Jan De Nul strengthens its position as a key player in the development of offshore green energy in Germany. It reaffirms our company’s position as ‘World Builders shaping water, land and energy’.
Fossil-free electricity
The Nordlicht wind farms are built without government subsidies. Vattenfall owns 51% of the project and is responsible to develop and construct the Nordlicht sites, with BASF as a key partner owning 49% of the projects. Vattenfall intends to use its share of future electricity generation to supply customers in Germany with fossil-free electricity.
Cyril Moss, Executive Project Director for the Nordlicht cluster at Vattenfall:
The installation of inter-array cables is a critical phase in any offshore wind project. Jan De Nul’s proven expertise and advanced technology give us confidence that we are building these projects on a foundation of excellence. Together, we are making significant progress toward delivering renewable energy to 1.7 million German households and supporting Germany’s path to a fossil-free future.
