Germany opens largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea

Frankfurt (Germany) | AFP Germany inaugurated its largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea this Thursday (17), amid warnings from sector representatives that the industry is facing difficulties.

Located 90 kilometers north of the island of Borkum, close to the border with the Netherlands, the wind farm has 64 turbines, with a total capacity of 960 megawatts (MW).

Named "He Dreiht" ("it is spinning" in the literal translation of the local German dialect), the park cost its operator, EnBW, around 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) and can supply energy to approximately 1.1 million homes, according to the company.

"You invested in this wind farm with a clear vision," German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said in a speech, adding that the investment was made "at a time when market conditions are not at all easy."

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US President Donald Trump's campaign against wind energy coincided with a change in Germany's energy policy, shaking up the sector.

Energy Minister Katherina Reiche, from the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), a center-right party, proposed cuts in subsidies for solar and wind energy.

Reiche has advocated for the construction of new gas-fired power plants to help stabilize the electrical grid and offset the intermittency of renewable sources such as wind and solar.

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Schneider, a center-left Social Democrat, said Germany's goal of tripling its offshore wind capacity to 30 GW by 2030 remains in force.

This Thursday, EnBW CEO Georg Stamatelopoulos stated that uncertainty is hampering the expansion of wind energy.

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“Are we just going to ignore these projects or let them drag on?” he asked.

He Dreiht is the first wind farm in Germany to operate without state subsidies for the electricity it feeds into the grid.

EnBW relies exclusively on power purchase agreements (PPAs), long-term contracts signed with companies such as Fraport, operator of Frankfurt Airport, and automotive supplier Bosch.