German energy group RWE has completed the installation of foundations for the Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm, located approximately 50 kilometres north of the island of Juist in the North Sea. This technical milestone includes the deployment of 44 monopiles and secondary structures, marking the end of the marine civil works phase. Each foundation weighs about 1,500 tonnes and measures nearly 85 metres in length.
Structured preparation for maintenance cycles
The structures were temporarily stored in the Dutch port of Eemshaven before being transported offshore on the Boreas and Aeolus vessels operated by Van Oord. Once on site, they were installed without separate transition pieces—a technical choice aimed at optimising material usage and reducing the volume of steel required. This configuration may also simplify long-term maintenance interventions.
Additional infrastructure already underway
The monopile base for one of the two offshore substations has already been installed, with the second, a jacket structure, expected by year-end. The topside modules are scheduled for installation in 2026. Internal cabling works, covering around 70 kilometres, will begin in early 2026. Installation of the turbines is set to commence in summer 2026, with full commissioning of the wind farm expected in early 2027.
Anticipated maintenance strategy for the site
The project timeline includes continuous mobilisation of maintenance teams from the first technical installations. The choice of standard components on access platforms and internal cassettes could facilitate inspections and future repairs. RWE, responsible for full lifecycle operations, is planning ahead for offshore access, structural control and turbine servicing requirements.
The Nordseecluster project, developed by RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%), will reach a total capacity of 1.6 gigawatts (GW) once the second phase, Nordseecluster B, is completed in 2029. The site will supply the equivalent of 1.6 million German households, with reinforced maintenance requirements throughout the offshore infrastructure lifecycle.
