The companies also underline their ambitions to reduce their CO2e emissions throughout the entire value chain. The top sections of 56 of the 112 towers will be made from low-emission steel, accounting for 24 percent of the mass of the heavy steel plates used for the wind farm area and leading to a 16 percent reduction in the overall carbon footprint of the towers. .
Low-emission steel is manufactured using 100 percent steel scrap melted in an electric arc furnace powered by 100 percent wind energy, reducing the carbon footprint by 66 percent compared to heavy steel plates manufactured through a conventional steel manufacturing route.
Nils de Baar, President of Vestas for Northern and Central Europe, says: “We are pleased to have signed this conditional agreement to deliver our state-of-the-art V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbine for Nordlicht projects. Vattenfall, BASF and Vestas share the ambition to rapidly expand wind projects and decarbonize the energy market in Europe, and Nordlicht will play a crucial role in meeting Germany’s energy transition goals. “Vattenfall and BASF have a lot of experience in offshore wind projects and we look forward to building this project together with our partners.”
Catrin Jung, Head of Offshore Wind at Vattenfall, comments: “Wind energy is an essential cornerstone on the path to fossil freedom, moving society forward. With Vestas, we now have a partner at our side for our projects. of Nordlicht, with whom we share the same values ??in terms of sustainable energy solutions. The wind turbine supply and service contracts are an important milestone for us and we look forward to continuing to work with Vestas as one of the leading wind turbine manufacturers.”
Horatio Evers, CEO of BASF Renewable Energy GmbH, adds: “Renewable energy plays a key role in our efforts to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions as soon as possible. This agreement is another important milestone in the Nordlicht 1 and 2 offshore wind projects and shows our clear commitment to the European wind energy supply chain. “Sustainability is an integral part of our strategy and I am delighted that by using low-emission steel we are also demonstrating that sustainable products are the future.”
The Nordlicht wind farm area is located 85 kilometers north of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea and consists of two separate locations: Nordlicht 1 and Nordlicht 2. Once fully operational, production is expected of electricity total around 6 terawatt hours (TWh). per year, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of 1.6 million German households.
Construction of Nordlicht 1 and 2 is planned to begin in 2026. According to the current state of planning, the wind turbines will be installed in 2027 (Nordlicht 1) and 2028 (Nordlicht 2). The wind farms are expected to be fully operational in 2028.
If the agreement with Vattenfall and BASF results in firm and unconditional orders for Vestas, the company will disclose them in accordance with its disclosure policy.
