RWE Breaks Ground for Thor Onshore Substation

May 4, 2023, by Adnan Durakovic

RWE has started construction on the onshore substation that will connect the Thor offshore wind farm to the Danish grid.

Thor will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date and will create many jobs and vocational training positions locally, RWE said.

The onshore substation will be built 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.

RWE is marking the start of construction of the onshore substation with a groundbreaking ceremony in the presence of Steffen Damsgaard, Chairman of the Technology & Environment Committee of the Municipality of Lemvig, Troels Ranis, Senior Vice President of Confederation of Danish Industry, Kristian Jensen, CEO of Green Power Denmark, Peter Weinreich-Jensen, Director of Siemens Energy Denmark and Pia Lanken, CEO of RWE Renewables Denmark.

Erik Flyvholm, Mayor of Lemvig, said: ”This is perhaps one of the most important groundbreaking ceremonies in Lemvig in recent times. It is the beginning of a massive wind project and the beginning of an energy adventure in Northwestern Jutland to the benefit of the climate, the region and the municipality. I wish for a fruitful partnership with RWE that will benefit both parties.”

RWE also expects to recruit at least 60 local people to work on the operation and maintenance of Thor offshore wind farm.

Pia Lanken, CEO of RWE Renewables Denmark, said: ”I am very excited to be part of today’s groundbreaking ceremony, which will be a big step forward for Denmark’s green transition. We already work closely with the local community, politicians, fishermen and educational institutions. It is crucial that we are in dialogue with these stakeholders because we want to contribute to local development. This is one of the reasons why we have committed to employing at least 30 vocational trainees for this major project.”

RWE will build the Thor offshore wind farm in the Danish part of the North Sea, approximately 22 kilometers off the coast of Thorsminde.

With a planned capacity of more than 1,000 MW, Thor will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date. Once it is fully operational, which is scheduled for the end of 2027 at the latest, Thor will be able to produce enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households.

Sustainable solutions will also be deployed at the Thor offshore wind farm, RWE said. This means, among other things, that half of the 72 wind turbines will be equipped with CO2 -reduced steel towers from Siemens Gamesa.

The towers’ steel plates are made of greener steel that produces at least 63 percent less CO2 emissions compared to conventional steel. RWE will be the first developer in the world to utilise Siemens Gamesa’s GreenerTowers.