EnBW Initiates Submarine Cabling for He Dreiht, Advancing Germany’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

EnBW Initiates Submarine Cabling for He Dreiht, Advancing Germany’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

(IN BRIEF) EnBW has initiated the installation of the first of 64 submarine cables for the He Dreiht offshore wind farm, connecting its 64 turbines with 100 kilometers of cable. Executed by Seaway7 using two installation vessels, the project involves burying 66-kilovolt cables manufactured by JDR on the North Sea seabed. Once integrated into the wind turbine foundations and linked to a converter platform managed by TenneT, the system will convert and export electricity via high-voltage DC cables. As Germany’s largest offshore wind farm with a capacity of 960 megawatts and a €2.4 billion investment, He Dreiht—located near Borkum and Heligoland—will power approximately 1.1 million households with its new generation of 15-MW Vestas turbines.

(PRESS RELEASE) KARLSRUHE/HMBURG, 12-Mar-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — EnBW has embarked on the installation of the first of 64 submarine cables, totaling 100 kilometers, to interconnect the 64 turbines of the He Dreiht offshore wind farm. The project, commissioned to Seaway7, employs two specialized installation vessels that will lay and bury the 66-kilovolt cables—manufactured in the UK by JDR—along the North Sea seabed by summer. Once in place, these cables will be pulled into the wind turbine foundations and connected to form the inner-array grid cabling system.

In a subsequent phase, the internal cabling network will be integrated with a converter platform, managed by TenneT. Set to be installed at sea during the summer, this platform will concentrate the generated electricity, convert it from alternating current to direct current, and channel it to shore via two high-voltage DC export cables.

He Dreiht is currently recognized as Germany’s largest offshore wind farm, boasting a capacity of 960 megawatts. Located roughly 85 kilometers northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers west of Heligoland, the project represents a significant €2.4 billion investment and is being developed without state funding. The wind farm is coordinated by EnBW’s offshore office in Hamburg, and during peak construction, over 500 workers and more than 60 vessels are active on site. Following the successful installation of 64 turbine foundations last year, the next step involves deploying the latest generation of 15-MW Vestas wind turbines, which will enable the farm to generate enough electricity to power approximately 1.1 million households.

About EnBW

With over 29,000 employees, EnBW is one of the largest energy companies in Germany and Europe. It supplies around 5.5 million customers with electricity and gas. As part of its transformation from a traditional energy company to a sustainable infrastructure group, the expansion of renewable energy sources and of the distribution and transmission grids for electricity, gas and hydrogen are cornerstones of EnBW’s growth strategy and the focus of its investments. Until 2030, EnBW plans gross investments of €40 billion. By then, around 80 percent of EnBW’s generation portfolio is to consist of renewable energies, and the company aims to phase out coal by the end of 2028. These are key milestones on the road to the company’s climate neutrality in 2035.

Media Contact:

Stefanie Klumpp
Phone: +49 171 4771237
stefanie.klumpp@enbw.com

SOURCE: EnBW