Hafrok

Nordlicht 1 (N-7.2)

Germany's largest offshore wind project. BSH site N-7.2, 85 km north of Borkum, covers 52.63 km squared, water depth 37-39 m.

Status
Under Constructionlifecycle stage
DeliveringHafrok completion outlook
Ownership
Vattenfall — 100% ◆
Location
Germany
North Sea
Verification
17 sources · ◆ 13 documents held
◆verified≈modelled∴inferred·derived
open the source register →
Technology
Capacity 980 MW ◆ Turbines 68 × 15 MW ◆ Model Vestas V236 15-0 ◆ Foundation Monopile ◆
Site & conditions
Site rights Seabed rights held ∴
Origination BNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2022 (central model, site N-7.2) · 2022 ·
Water depth 37–39 m ◆ Distance from shore 96 km ◆ Wind speed 10.3 m/s @ 150 m ≈
Revenue & grid
Offtake PPA ◆ Grid Secured ◆ Connection TenneT BorWin Kappa (NOR-7-2 grid connection system) ◆
Schedule
FID Mar 2025 ◆ COD · announced 2028 ◆
COD · Hafrok 2028 expected

Delivery outlook modelled by Hafrok · calibrated on delivered projects

2028
expected year of commercial operation
Chance of delivery
≈98% estimated chance this project reaches commercial operation
Under Construction projects complete ≈97% of the time on Hafrok's record. A secured offtake contract lifts this one slightly; its size and technical complexity pull a little the other way.
COD outlook
If it completes, when — Hafrok’s probability by year (teal) · the developer’s COD guidance, by date stated (ink)
20%40%60%80%100% 2027: 1.3% (conditional on completion) 2028: 75.4% (conditional on completion) 2029: 21.7% (conditional on completion) 2030: 1.6% (conditional on completion)2026now2027202875%20292030 Developer-announced COD: 2028 — in line with Hafrok’s expected year ANNOUNCED = EXPECTED 2028developer cod guidance2023-12 → 2024-08: the developer guided 2028 in 2 statements — sources [19] [10] — click for the sources2024-082028 · held since 2023-12 (×2) [19,10]2025-02-06: the developer guided 2029 — source [21] — click for it2025-022029 [21]2025-03 → 2026-07: the developer guided 2028 in 3 statements — sources [3] [5] [20] — click for the sources2026-072028 · held since 2025-03 (×3) [3,5,20]
COD probability by year, conditional on completion
YearProbability
20271.3%
2028 (expected)75.4%
202921.7%
20301.6%
Developer COD guidance, by the date it was stated
StatedAnnounced COD
2024-08-292028 (held since 2023-12-05, 2 statements)
2025-02-062029
2026-07-022028 (held since 2025-03-25, 3 statements)
How Hafrok got this date
1
Starting point: the last dated milestone
Construction start in 2026. From there Hafrok adds how long similar projects (in established offshore-wind markets) took to reach commercial operation, measured on projects that have delivered.
2
Typical timing
Starting point plus the typical remaining time gives a middle estimate of 2027 Q3; the faster quarter of similar projects would be done by 2026 Q4, the slower quarter not until 2028 Q3.
3
Result
Expected commercial operation 2028, likely range 2027–2029 (the middle half of outcomes for similar projects). The developer's announced date falls inside that likely range, so the announced date is adopted.
4
Year-by-year chart
The bars spread that estimate across years using how similar projects actually slipped against their dates — more often late than early, which is why the bars lean right.
5
Chance of delivery — separate from timing
Start from the share of Under Construction projects that went on to complete — ≈97%, measured on Hafrok's record of delivered and abandoned projects, with an allowance held back where that record cannot yet speak (projects still unresolved, changed market conditions). Based on the measured record — all 257 construction starts with a final outcome reached operation — adjusted down for projects still mid-build and for legal-challenge risk. Then adjust for this project's own evidence — offtake, market, size, technical complexity — to ≈98%, which rates it Delivering on Hafrok's four-step delivery scale (Delivering · Expected · Prospective · Fragile).

Project timeline & ownership verified milestones on the spine · ownership from Hafrok’s transactions record

2023’24’25’26’27’28Developer-announced COD: 2028 announced COD 2028BNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2022 (central model, site N-7.2) — awarded to RWE Renewables Offshore HoldCo Four GmbHBNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2022 (central model, site N-7.2) Sep 2022 · auction recordView the source for Consent appliedConsent applied 3 Jul 2023 ◆View the source for Consent grantedConsent granted 13 Dec 2024 ◆View the source for Final investment decisionFinal investment decision Mar 2025 ◆View the sources for Offshore constructionOffshore construction 1 Jul 2026 ◆Commercial operation 2028 ·Hafrok expectedBNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2022 (central model, site N-7.2) — awarded to RWE Renewables Offshore HoldCo Four GmbH 2022-09 ORIGINATIONTransfer(s) not in Hafrok's record — shown as a gap, never guessed. UNRECORDEDTODAYRWE Renewables Offshore HoldCo Four GmbH RWE Renewables Offshore… RWE Renewables Offshore… not among today’s recorded owners — no sale recordedVattenfall — 100% today Vattenfall Vattenfall 100%BNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2022 (central model, site N-7.2) — awarded to RWE Renewables Offshore HoldCo Four GmbH Transfer(s) not in Hafrok's record — shown as a gap, never guessed.
Dashed tick marks today (13 Oct 2026). The ▲ below the spine is the developer-announced COD. The teal diamond on the spine is origination — the seabed award or round that created the project. Every other ownership event lives in the band below: one station per recorded deal, dated at its label, in deal order rather than to calendar scale. Secondary trades appear only at the interchanges; grey lines are parties whose entry or exit Hafrok’s record does not hold.
Announced COD: held (announced 2028, unchanged) · the full guidance history is in the delivery chart above

Revenue & offtake zero-bid award · bilateral offtake

Auction won at €0.00/MWh — no state price support
Award€0.00/MWh ◆ RoundBNetzA Offshore Wind Auction 2022 (central model, site N-7.2) · Sep 2022 Awarded capacity980 MW
The award carries no state price support — revenue rests on bilaterally contracted offtake. Corporate PPA contracts are not yet recorded as structured data; the Revenue & offtake rows carry what the record's sources state.

Installation how the build is going · from sourced statements and Hafrok’s registers

Installation under way
Installation · on record
StageUnder Construction
Offshore constructionstarted 2026-07-01
Turbinesnot reportedshown when the developer reports a dated count
Expected start of operation2028
Construction ports
PortEemshaven ◆·om · quay 5000 m · crane 50 t · draft 14 m
Installation contracts
Foundationsvessel not yet named◇2026-07 → · Underway Turbinesvessel not yet named◇Contracted
Grid connection
from Hafrok’s substation, converter and cable registers
Offshore platforms · 1
HVDC systemBorWin6·980 MW · ±320 kV · under construction, expected 2027
Export & onshore
Export cableBorWin6 Export Cable·HVDC subsea · 235 km · Nexans · under construction · to Buttel (onshore converter)
Converter supplierOther·BorWin6 · McDermott (Jebel Ali, Dubai + Batam, Indonesia) · for TenneT
Grid connection · ready in time?
when each part of the grid connection is due, against the start date the developer states (black line) and the year Hafrok expects (teal band) · a bar spans the whole year, quarter or month the source gives
installed or in serviceexpected deliveryearlier date that was later moved
202620272028Hafrok expects the farm to start in 2028developer’s stated start 2028nowBorWin6BorWin6expected 2027expected 2027BorWin6 Export CableBorWin6 Export Cableexpected 2027expected 2027

Related projects nearest first · owner and round: same country, most advanced first

Nearby

The Germany market →

Also Vattenfall

All 25 Vattenfall projects →

Sources & verification

Rests on 17 sources (14 primary) · ◆ 13 documents held
◆Verified≈Modelled◇Sourced∴Inferred⌁Convention○Unverified∅No source·Derived
Numbers are stable citation ids — grouped by source class, so they are not consecutive.
Regulator1
[1]
Bundesamt fuer Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH)2024-12◆ Planfeststellungsbeschluss Offshore-Wind…
“Az: 5111/Nordlicht I/PFV Rostock, den 13.12.2024 [...] Der Planfeststellungsbeschluss umfasst 68 Windenergieanlagen [...] Nennleistung je WEA: 15 MW Gründungsstruktur: Monopile [...] Die Koordinaten d…”
supportsConsentTurbinesUnit capacityTotal capacityFoundation+5 more
source ↗
Operator6
[2]
Vattenfall2023-02-14◆ New German offshore wind farm renamed No…
“The German 980 MW wind project "N-7.2" located in the North Sea has been renamed Nordlicht I. Surface: 52.63 km². Distance to shore: 96 km. Water depth: 37-39 m.”
supportsTotal capacityWater depthDistance from shore
source ↗
[3]
Vattenfall2025-03-25◆ Vattenfall builds Germany’s largest offs…
“25 March 2025, 15:00 CET [...] Vattenfall has made the final investment decision on the Nordlicht I and II offshore wind farms. [...] Nordlicht I is set to become Germany’s largest offshore wind proje…”
supportsFinal investment decision
source ↗archive ↗
[5]
Vattenfall2026-01-14◆ Germany’s largest wind project is moving…
“Monopile installation for Nordlicht I is scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year, while Nordlicht II will follow approximately one year later. Both wind farms are expected to be operation…”
supportsCommercial operation
source ↗
[8]
Vattenfall2025-01-31◆ Vattenfall and BASF award key contracts …
“Vattenfall and BASF have awarded four major contracts for the Nordlicht 1 and 2 offshore wind farms, which are located 85 kilometers north of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea. [...] Nordli…”
supportsBackground
source ↗
[12]
Vattenfall2024-09-26◆ Havfram contracted for transport and ins…
“BASF holds a 49 per cent stake in the Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farm projects. The Nordlicht wind project is being built without state subsidies and, with a total installed capacity of 1.6 gigawatts, rep…”
supportsBackground
source ↗
[20]
Vattenfall2026-07-02◆ Vattenfall starts offshore construction …
“Both wind farms are scheduled to become operational in 2028. ... Nordlicht II is planned to follow around one year later.”
supportsCOD history
source ↗
Record source2
[25]
Vattenfall2026-07-02◆ vattenfall-nordlicht-construction-start-…
on July 1st, the first monopile for the Nordlicht I offshore wind farm was installed in the German North Sea... The installation was carried out by DEME, which is responsible for the transport and ins…
supportsVessel — foundation installation
source ↗
[26]
Vattenfall2024-09-26◆ vattenfall-nordlicht-havfram-2024-09
Havfram will deploy one of its state-of-the-art, low-emission wind turbine installation vessels for the construction of the two wind farms. Havfram's new installation vessels, which are still under co…
supportsVessel — turbine installation
source ↗
Trade press8
[6]
offshoreWIND.biz2026-01-13
Press report — cited, not quoted; read it at the source link.
supportsTurbinesModelUnit capacity
source ↗
[9]
WindpowerNL2026-01-19◆ Construction Starts on Vattenfall O&M Ba…
Press report — cited, not quoted; read it at the source link.
supportsom
source ↗archive ↗
[10]
offshoreWIND.biz2024-08-29◆ Vattenfall and German Steel Manufacturer…
Press report — cited, not quoted; read it at the source link.
supportsMechanismDetail
source ↗archive ↗
[13]
BASF2025-03◆ BASF sells share in Nordlicht wind farms…
supportsowner
source ↗
[14]
Windtech International2026-07-02
Press report — cited, not quoted; read it at the source link.
supportsOffshore construction
source ↗
[15]
EnergyWatch2026-07-02
“Vattenfall starts offshore construction of Germany's largest wind project ... the first monopile for the Nordlicht I offshore wind farm in the German North Sea [was installed]. 'It's an important step…”
supportsOffshore construction
source ↗
[16]
DTU Wind Energy / World Bank (Global Wind Atlas)2026
supportsMean wind speed
source ↗
[24]
offshoreWIND.biz2026-10-01◆ All Monopiles In at Nordlicht I Offshore…
Press report — cited, not quoted; read it at the source link.
supportsStatus note
source ↗