A ceremony in Saint-Nazaire on 10 February 2026 marked the completion of the design, construction, and integration of two offshore electrical substations for Phase A of the Nordseecluster offshore wind project, developed by RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%). Manufacturing was carried out at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Each topside is approximately 40 m long and 22 m high. One weighs about 1,800 tonnes and the other around 2,500 tonnes. Both are scheduled to depart Saint-Nazaire by the end of the month and will be transported by barge to the North Sea, around 50,000 m north of the German island of Juist, on a voyage lasting around eight days. The foundations have already been installed.
The substations will collect electricity from the turbines, increase voltage and transmit power to the grid operator’s converter station for export to shore. They will also gather operational data and enable remote monitoring and control from land.
Nordseecluster A is planned to be fully commissioned in early 2027 with 660 MW. Nordseecluster B is planned to add 900 MW from 2029. The 1.6 GW Nordseecluster is stated as sufficient to supply the equivalent of around 1.6 million German households.
