When Danish and foreign energy companies contested for the contract to build Thor Offshore Wind Farm in the Danish North Sea, the bid from RWE (via Thor Wind Farm I/S) won the tender. RWE, which is among the world’s leading renewable energy companies, now holds the right to construct and operate the offshore wind farm. The agreement not only adds a further 1 GW of green electricity to Danish power sockets, it also marks the beginning of a new chapter in the deployment of Danish wind power. This is the first time that a Danish offshore wind farm and connection onshore has been built without State aid. Instead, the Thor project is expected to generate DKK 2.8 bn. for the Danish Government when the first turbines start turning and producing power for the electricity market.
"I'm delighted about this agreement with RWE and Thor Wind Farm I/S on the Thor Offshore Wind Farm, because it shows that Danish wind power is a good business on the world market. We built Denmark's first offshore wind farm 30 years ago because we had a vision and a belief in the potential of offshore wind power. Today, we can see that further deployment is not solely driven by political ambition but also, to an entirely new degree, by strong market forces. Wind power is not only good for the climate, it can also be really good business,” said Dan Jørgensen, Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities.
For the German RWE, the Thor project will help support the company's goal to triple its global offshore wind capacity by 2030. RWE is already involved in the Danish Rødsand 2 offshore wind farm just south of Lolland.
"Scandinavia, and Denmark in particular, is an important strategic growth market for us. Denmark not only has very favourable wind conditions, the country also has ambitions to deploy even more offshore wind power. We’re looking forward to working with the Danish Government and other partners, and in the upcoming months we’ll be starting our preliminary surveys. With Thor, we have two projects off the Danish coast and this means that we’re making a major contribution to Denmark's green energy transition,” said Pål Coldevin, Executive Vice President for Offshore Development Nordics, Poland and Baltics at RWE Renewables.
In the presence of the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Dan Jørgensen, the Danish Energy Agency on behalf of the Danish Government has now signed the concession agreement with RWE requiring Thor Wind Farm I/S to establish the wind farm. The concession grants the right to construct and operate offshore wind power in the area in the North Sea for 30 years. Total investment costs have been estimated at DKK 15.5 bn. The wind farm shall reach full operation before end of 2027.