EnBW (an energy producer and energy supplier) and its consortium partners have officially inaugurated He Dreiht, a 960-megawatt offshore wind farm in the German North Sea that stands as the country's largest, built entirely without state subsidies and financed through long-term power purchase agreements with major industrial and technology companies.

A Landmark Project for German Renewable Energy

The inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, marking the formal completion of a project that EnBW describes as its largest single investment in renewable energy.

The wind farm's 64 turbines are capable of covering the annual electricity needs of the equivalent of around 1.1 million households. Full commissioning is expected in the coming months as individual turbines are progressively connected to the grid, tested, and brought online.

EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG holds 50.1 percent of the shares through a project company. The remaining 49.9 percent are held by a consortium comprising Allianz Global Investors on behalf of Allianz entities, AIP Management, and Norges Bank Investment Management. Total investment in the project amounts to approximately USD 2.76 billion.

Georg Stamatelopoulos, Chairman of the Board of Management at EnBW, said the project demonstrated how renewable energy could succeed on the market without public subsidy when the right conditions are in place.

"We need more projects like He Dreiht, which deliver affordable, secure, and clean electricity," he said, adding that Germany's entire energy system would need to be oriented around affordability, security, and cleanliness, which would require courage combined with pragmatism.

Financed Entirely Through Power Purchase Agreements

He Dreiht traces its origins to 2017, when EnBW was awarded the contract in the first round of offshore wind auctions in Germany with no entitlement to state funding. That structure required the project to secure its financing through the market, which it did by signing long-term power purchase agreements with a range of major corporations.

Contractual partners include Evonik, Google, Deutsche Telekom subsidiary PASM, Fraport, Bosch, Salzgitter, SHS Stahl-Holding Saar, Deutsche Bahn, and DHL Group.

These agreements provide companies with long-term price stability and planning certainty while helping them meet their own climate commitments. EnBW highlighted the technology sector in particular, noting that power purchase agreements will remain an important instrument given the increasing energy demands associated with digitalization and artificial intelligence applications.

Dr. Günther Thallinger, a member of the Board of Management at Allianz SE responsible for investment management and sustainability, said the project illustrated how private capital could be mobilized to finance the energy transition while delivering predictable long-term returns for savers and pension beneficiaries.

"The energy transition is not only an environmental imperative but also an economic one," he said. "Reliable renewable energy infrastructure strengthens energy security, reduces long-term systemic risks, and supports future competitiveness."

Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider described the inauguration as a strong signal for the further expansion of renewables in Germany. "It will make us less dependent on fossil fuels," he said, noting that offshore wind energy holds significant economic potential for coastal regions and for Germany more broadly as a business location.

Engineering Scale and European Supply Chain

Construction of He Dreiht began in the middle of the North Sea in May 2024. At peak periods, more than 500 people worked on site with over 60 ships involved in the operation, all coordinated through EnBW's offshore office in Hamburg. The sheer scale of the project demanded a supply chain spanning several European countries.

The 64 foundations, each consisting of steel pipes nine meters in diameter and 70 meters in length, were manufactured entirely in Germany. The connecting elements between the foundations and the turbine towers were produced in Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Poland. Components were transported to the construction site from the base ports of Esbjerg in Denmark and Eemshaven in the Netherlands.

The turbines themselves operate at substantial dimensions. With a hub height of 142 meters and a rotor diameter of 236 meters, each rotor sweeps through an area of approximately 44,000 square meters per revolution, an area equivalent to six football fields. According to EnBW, a single rotation of the rotor generates enough electricity to supply the equivalent of four households for a full day.

Grid connection is the responsibility of network operator TenneT. Electricity generated by the wind farm reaches the coast via an offshore platform and two submarine cables.

Grid Connection and Path to Full Operation

The transition to regular operation is being carried out progressively, with each turbine connected to the grid individually before being tested and formally commissioned. EnBW confirmed that the first turbines are already feeding electricity into the grid, with the remainder set to follow. Based on current progress, the company expects the wind farm to be fully operational within the coming months.

He Dreiht sits within a broader strategy of renewable expansion at EnBW, with the company indicating that further phases of development are already being planned.

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