RWE has secured auction contracts for two onshore wind projects totaling 119 megawatts in the latest tender held by Germany's Federal Network Agency, with both developments targeting commissioning in 2028, subject to final investment decisions.

Two Projects, Two Approaches

The awards cover distinct development strategies. The larger of the two, the Jüchen 3 project, is an 84-megawatt greenfield wind farm planned for recultivated land at the former Garzweiler open-cast mine in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district of North Rhine-Westphalia. The second project, Seedorf, is a 35-megawatt repowering scheme located in the Rotenburg (Wümme) district of Lower Saxony.

The Jüchen 3 development will be built on land that was formerly part of the Garzweiler open-cast mine, a lignite extraction site that has since undergone recultivation. The project represents a greenfield installation on this reclaimed land in North Rhine-Westphalia, one of Germany's key industrial states.

Seedorf Repowering Quadruples Capacity

The Seedorf project takes a different approach, focusing on modernizing existing infrastructure rather than breaking new ground. Under the plan, five turbines currently operating at the Seedorf wind farm with a combined installed capacity of just 9 megawatts will be decommissioned and replaced by five new modern turbines delivering a total of 35 megawatts.

The repowering therefore increases the site's generation capacity by approximately 26 megawatts, nearly quadrupling the output from the same number of turbines on the same site.

Repowering projects of this kind are increasingly central to Germany's onshore wind expansion strategy, allowing operators to extract significantly greater generation from established sites where planning permissions and grid connections already exist, while retiring older, less efficient equipment.

Auction Framework and Timeline

Both contracts were awarded through the Federal Network Agency's latest competitive auction process, which is the mechanism Germany uses to allocate support contracts for new renewable energy capacity. RWE has not yet taken final investment decisions on either project, and commissioning remains subject to those decisions being made. Should both projects proceed as planned, the turbines are expected to come online in 2028.

The Federal Network Agency, known in German as the Bundesnetzagentur, oversees the country's auction rounds for wind, solar, and other renewable technologies. Winning an auction contract provides project developers with revenue certainty by securing a strike price for electricity generated over a defined support period.

Expanding a 770 MW Domestic Portfolio

The two auction wins form part of RWE's ongoing effort to grow its onshore wind presence in Germany. The company currently operates onshore wind farms in Germany with a capacity of around 770 megawatts and has described its strategy as one of continuous expansion across the country.

RWE stated that it maintains an active presence throughout Germany to ensure a strong foothold in what it characterizes as a regionally focused wind and solar sector. The company's position frames renewable energy as the foundation of a secure electricity supply, citing rising electricity demand as a key driver.

RWE described onshore wind generation as particularly cost-effective with a proven track record, pointing to it as an established pillar of the country's energy mix.

North Rhine-Westphalia and the Garzweiler Legacy

The choice of the former Garzweiler mine site for the Jüchen 3 project carries significance beyond its technical specifications. Garzweiler has been one of Germany's largest open-cast lignite mining operations, and the recultivation of its land represents a physical transformation associated with the country's broader energy transition away from coal.

Siting an 84-megawatt wind farm on reclaimed mining land in North Rhine-Westphalia aligns with efforts to redevelop former fossil fuel sites for clean energy purposes.

The Rhein-Kreis Neuss district, where Jüchen 3 is planned, sits in the western part of North Rhine-Westphalia, a state that has historically been central to Germany's coal and heavy industry sectors but is now home to significant renewable energy development.

Lower Saxony Repowering Context

Lower Saxony has long been one of Germany's most important states for onshore wind energy, benefiting from favorable wind conditions, particularly in coastal and northern areas. The Seedorf site in the Rotenburg (Wümme) district sits in this established wind energy region.

Repowering existing sites in Lower Saxony allows RWE to increase output in areas where wind resources are well understood and where the company already has an operational presence. The replacement of five older turbines with five newer machines at Seedorf illustrates the generation gains made possible by advances in turbine technology.

The jump from 9 megawatts to 35 megawatts across the same number of units reflects the significantly larger rotor diameters, hub heights, and improved efficiency that modern turbines offer compared with earlier generations of equipment.

Powering Smarter Decisions Across Germany's Energy Landscape

With Germany's power sector undergoing one of its most ambitious transformation periods in decades. Driven by renewables expansion, grid modernisation, and energy security imperatives as well as staying ahead of project activity has never been more critical for developers, contractors, and investors alike.

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