Work on Windanker is making good progress

Still under construction and with geotechnical studies underway, the future wind farm has already received all the necessary approvals to start operations. The latest approval was granted in April 2025 by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). Prior to that, Iberdrola received authorisation from 50Hertz, the electricity system operator in northeast Germany, for the submarine cable route. This is essential to connect the offshore substation – about 24 kilometres away – to the German national grid. 

Work began after the summer of 2025 with the installation of the first monopile. The wind turbines will be installed in 2026, and the offshore wind farm is scheduled to come into operation in the last quarter of 2026. In the meantime, the Spanish company Windar has already completed the delivery of the 21 foundation structures, which will be up to 84 metres long and weigh 2,100 tonnes.

Siemens Gamesa will be in charge of building the 21 wind turbines (Siemens Gamesa SG 14-236 DD), which will be among the most advanced and powerful in the world (each with a capacity of up to 15 MW). Each wind turbine is also equipped with a revolutionary 236-metre rotor and direct drive technology, which increases reliability and operational performance and also allows annual production to exceed that of previous models by more than 30%. Innovative engineering and construction techniques will be applied throughout the wind farm to ensure maximum efficiency, safety and sustainability.

The transport and installation of the monopile foundations and interconnecting cables are being carried out by Van Oord, the same company involved in the development of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm. As well as this other Baltic project, the Dutch company will deploy its 8,000 tonne heavy-lift vessel, called Svanen, which has installed more than 700 foundations across Europe.

The Windanker project will enable Germany to reduce carbon emissions by around 672,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year and support the country’s goal of achieving an 80% share of renewables by 2030. Regulation in Germany is characterised by stability and predictability, creating a framework of confidence for renewable energy developers.