RWE has installed the world's first offshore wind turbine featuring a CO₂-reduced steel tower and recyclable rotor blades at the Thor offshore wind farm off Denmark's west coast. This installation marks a major milestone in the construction of the 1.1-gigawatt project and represents a pioneering step towards further improving the sustainability performance of offshore wind technology.

The Thor project will consist of 72 wind turbines, each with a capacity of up to 15 megawatts, to be installed by the end of 2026. Half of these turbines will be equipped with steel towers produced with a lower carbon footprint, while 40 turbines will feature a total of 120 recyclable rotor blades from Siemens Gamesa.

Sustainable Technology Features

RWE is the first company worldwide to use Siemens Gamesa's GreenerTower technology. The tower plates are manufactured from steel that produces at least 63 percent lower CO₂ emissions than conventional steel. The certified production process limits emissions by using renewable-powered furnaces and scrap steel.

The Thor wind farm will also feature Siemens Gamesa's recyclable rotor blades. Thanks to an innovative resin, the composite materials in these blades can be separated and reused in new casting applications in the automotive or consumer goods industries. RWE is already using recyclable rotor blades at its offshore wind farms Kaskasi in Germany and Sofia in the UK.

According to Marc Becker, Senior Vice President of Siemens Gamesa Offshore, the GreenerTower technology lowers the carbon footprint of steel and reduces overall turbine emissions by around 20 percent. Becker stated that the RecyclableBlade is designed to enable composite materials to be recovered and recycled, addressing a growing end-of-life challenge.

Project Progress and Capacity

RWE is on track with the construction of Denmark's largest offshore wind farm. Last year, the offshore substation and all foundations were successfully installed. Turbine installation is currently underway, and Thor recently delivered electricity to the Danish grid for the first time.

When fully operational in 2027, Thor will be capable of producing enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households. The wind farm's operations and maintenance plan envisages creating 50 to 60 local jobs at a new RWE service building, which was officially opened in March at the Port of Thorsminde.

Partnership and Company Operations

Thor offshore wind farm is a joint project between RWE, which holds a 51 percent stake, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which owns 49 percent. RWE is in charge of construction and operations throughout the lifecycle of Thor.

Sven Utermöhlen, Chief Executive Officer RWE Offshore Wind, emphasized that offshore wind already has one of the lowest life-cycle carbon footprints of power generation technologies. He stated that by using towers produced with greener steel and recyclable rotor blades, the company is further reducing the carbon footprint and taking a significant step towards fully circular offshore wind.

RWE already has 18 offshore wind farms in operation globally, including Rødsand 2, located south of the Danish island of Lolland. In addition to Thor in Denmark, the company is currently building three major offshore wind farms: the Sofia offshore wind farm (1.4 GW) in the UK, the Nordseecluster (1.6 GW, RWE share: 51%) off the German coast, and OranjeWind (795 MW, RWE share: 50%) in the Netherlands.

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