Luxcara is planning to switch from Mingyang turbines to Siemens Gamesa units for its up to 300MW Waterkant project in the German North Sea.
The developer has reserved 19 15.5MW units from Siemens Gamesa, as part of a wider reservation agreement confirmed today for its nearby 1.5GW Waterekke project.
Luxcara last year signed a reservation agreement with Mingyang for 16 18.5MW turbines at Waterkant but has faced reported push back from authorities.
It said it now “sees potential in bundling procurement processes and contract awards” for the Siemens Gamesa machines, “as well as in joint installation campaigns and coordinated operations”.
It said it began exploring options for investigating synergies between both wind farms in “the interests of an economically viable energy transition”.
“The considered turbine change in Waterkant has been addressed with the relevant approval authorities and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the project partners have been informed,” the developer added.
Luxcara said the agreement with Siemens Gamesa is a milestone for the Waterekke project, which will comprise 97 turbines.
Holger Matthiesen, Managing Director of the two project companies, said: “Our primary goal is to successfully implement the energy transition. This includes investing in financially sound projects and reliably implementing them with low risk in collaboration with our partners.
“With the award of our 1.5 GW Waterekke project in late summer 2024, we reached an important milestone, and we are pleased to have reserved 97 wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa for this project alone.
“To explore possible synergies, we are examining the possibility of using Siemens Gamesa turbines for the neighboring Waterkant project as well.
“This would enable us to coordinate the development, construction, and operation of both projects more closely.”
Waterkant is a 300MW offshore wind project on site N-6.7, located in the German Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) in the North-Sea.
The Waterkant project is expected to be connected to the national transmission grid by the end of 2028 to generate clean electricity for approximately up to 400,000 households.
Waterekke is a neighbouring 1.5GW offshore wind project on site N-9.3. The project is scheduled to be connected to the national transmission grid in 2029.