1.6 GW Nordlicht Project to Feature Vestas Low-Emission Steel Wind Turbines

June 25, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Vattenfall and BASF have signed supply and service contracts with Vestas for 15 MW wind turbines in the Nordlicht offshore wind project in Germany. Out of the 112 turbines, 56 will partly be fabricated with low-emission steel, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the towers, according to the Vattenfall.

The Nordlicht wind farm area is situated 85 kilometres north of the Borkum Island in the German North Sea and consists of two separate locations, namely Nordlicht 1 with a capacity of around 980 MW and Nordlicht 2 with around 630 MW.

The construction of the offshore wind projects is planned to commence in 2026 with the wind turbines expected to be installed in 2027 (Nordlicht 1) and 2028 (Nordlicht 2), respectively.

Once fully operational, electricity production is expected to total around 6 TWh per year.

Last week, Vestas announced that it signed a conditional agreement with Vattenfall and BASF for the supply of 112 V236-15.0 MW wind turbines for the Nordlicht offshore wind project.

The top sections of 56 out of 112 towers will be made with low-emission steel, accounting for 24 per cent of the mass of the heavy steel plates used for the wind farm area and leading to a 16 per cent reduction in the overall carbon footprint, according to the wind turbine manufacturer.

“Steel manufacturing results in around 8 per cent of total global emissions and it is therefore important to secure decarbonization of this sector fast,” said Helle Herk-Hansen, Vice President of Environment at Vattenfall.

“With this project Vattenfall together with our partners sends a clear signal that low emission steel is needed to secure an energy transition in line with the 1,5 degree Celsius trajectory in the Paris Agreement.”

According to Vattenfall, the low-emission steel is based on 100 per cent steel scrap processed in an electric furnace, which in turn is powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. This reduces the carbon footprint by 66 per cent compared to heavy steel plates made via a conventional steelmaking route.

BASF holds a 49 per cent stake in the Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farm projects. The company is planning to use almost half of the electricity to supply its chemical production sites in Europe, especially in Ludwigshafen.

Vattenfall is developing and building the Nordlicht sites and intends to use its share of future electricity generation to supply customers in Germany with fossil-free electricity.