Germany – RWE’s Sanbostel-Bevern wind farm was awarded a subsidy by the German Federal Network Agency, in a German auction for onshore wind energy.
The wind farm, which is located in the Rotenburg area, will be equipped with wind turbines from the manufacturer Nordex, each with a capacity of 5.7 megawatts (MW). RWE will possess three turbines with a total installed capacity of 17.1 MW. RWE is also planning a fourth turbine at this location, which will be built and constructed on behalf of a local citizen-owned firm. The wind farm’s whole construction is set to begin next year. The four wind turbines will be able to generate enough green electricity to power more than 15,500 homes once they are fully operational.
The auction
The total tender volume for the entire auction was 1,243 MW, according to the German Federal Network Agency. A total of 137 offers totaling 1,161 MW were submitted. The procurement for onshore wind energy was slightly undersubscribed, with a bid deadline of May 1, 2021. As a consequence, 127 offers with a total bidding volume of 1,110 MW were awarded. The average quantity-weighted award price was 5.91 ct/kWh, which was lower than the preliminary auction’s average quantity-weighted award price of 6.00 ct/kWh.
Expansion in Germany
RWE already has onshore wind farms in Germany with a capacity of over 550 MW. The portfolio is constantly being increased. In conjunction with NEW Re and the city of Jüchen, the business is currently building the Jüchen onshore wind farm (27 MW). On recultivated land that was once part of the Garzweiler opencast mine, six wind turbines are being constructed. The commissioning is expected to take place later this year.
RWE is also now constructing the Evendorf wind farm (11.7 MW) in Lower Saxony, as well as the Krusemark repowering project (19.8 MW) in Saxony-Anhalt. Last year, both initiatives were awarded contracts by the German Federal Network Agency. Furthermore, RWE’s Kaskasi offshore wind farm (342 MW) is now under construction 35 kilometres north of Heligoland. RWE is also pursuing new hybrid projects like a photovoltaic plant with battery storage at the Inden open-cast mine. The battery storage system will act as a buffer between solar power generation and the distribution network, allowing the power feed-in to be better matched to demand.
