Vattenfall has signed a contract with EMS Maritime Offshore for an operating site in Eemshaven to serve as the operations and maintenance base for the 1600MW Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farms.
The company said the location offers strong infrastructure for service operation vessels and crew transfer vessels.
Nordlicht, which will become Germany’s largest offshore wind farm at 1.6GW, is due to start construction in 2026 with first turbines commissioned in autumn 2027 and full operation in 2028.
Vattenfall head of the Nordlicht project Cyril Moss said: “We need reliable, experienced partners for both the construction phase and the operation of such a large offshore project as Nordlicht 1 and 2 – with EMS Maritime Offshore B.V., Vattenfall is relying on a company with strong German roots and a long-standing presence in the offshore sector.
“The new operating base in Eemshaven is an important building block in putting Nordlicht into operation in an efficient and climate-friendly way due to the shorter start-up times.”
EMO managing director Marcel Diekmann said: “We are very pleased to have gained Vattenfall, another important offshore partner, for our site in Eemshaven.
“In this way, we are making an important contribution to the energy transition by sustainably securing and further strengthening the relevant services in the logistics chain.”
Construction of the EMO base will start this year, with completion scheduled for October 2026.
The facility will include storage, workshops and office space and will meet sustainability standards including solar power, heat pumps and heat recovery ventilation.
EMO will also provide port services for SOVs and CTVs under a parallel service contract.
Eemshaven’s proximity to the German North Sea exclusive economic zone will enable shorter vessel journeys, cutting fuel use and emissions while improving operational efficiency.
Vattenfall has already awarded contracts to Vestas for turbine supply, Havfram for transport and installation, and TKF for cables.