Germany – Vattenfall and BASF have agreed on the sale of 49 percent of Vattenfall’s Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farms to BASF. The Nordlicht wind project is being built in the German North Sea without state subsidies and, with a total installed capacity of 1.6 gigawatts, will be the largest offshore wind farm project in realization for Vattenfall to date.
Vattenfall is responsible for developing and constructing the Nordlicht sites and intends to use its share of future electricity generation to supply customers in Germany with fossil-free electricity. BASF will use its 49 percent share of electricity to supply its chemical production sites in Europe, especially in Ludwigshafen.
Nordlicht is already Vattenfall’s second major offshore wind project in which BASF is participating as a partner. In 2021, BASF acquired almost half of the shares in the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.
The Nordlicht wind farm area is located 85 kilometres north of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea and consists of two separate sites: Nordlicht 1 with a capacity of around 980 megawatts and Nordlicht 2 with around 630 megawatts. Once fully operational, electricity production is expected to total around 6 terawatt hours (TWh) per year, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of 1.6 million German households. Subject to the final investment decision, which is expected in 2025, construction of Nordlicht 1 and 2 is expected to begin in 2026. The wind farms are expected to be fully operational in 2028.