Danish Minister of Environment Magnus Heunicke, Vattenfall’s Head of Wind Helene Biström, and Country Manager for Vattenfall Denmark Anne Mette Traberg officially inaugurated the two offshore wind farms Vesterhav Nord and Vesterhav Syd on 12 September.

The Vesterhav Nord and Vesterhav Syd offshore wind farms are located off the Danish west coast and consist of 41 Siemens Gamesa 8.4 MW wind turbines.

Both wind farms are entirely within Danish waters with the turbines placed between 5.5 to 10 kilometres from the shore. Each turbine tower stands at 100 metres and each turbine blade is 81.4 metres long.

“The opening of these two wind farms strengthens Vattenfall’s presence in Denmark, bringing our total offshore wind capacity to 1.5 GW. This reflects our ongoing commitment to the offshore wind industry in Denmark and across Europe”, said Anne Mette Traberg, Country Manager, Vattenfall Denmark.

Vattenfall won the tender for Vesterhav Syd and Nord in 2016 with a strike price of DKK 475/MWh (around EUR 63.7/MWh).

The Danish Energy Agency approved the construction of the two projects in December 2020 and granted Vattenfall an electricity production permit for the 344 MW Vesterhav duo in Summer 2023.

Vesterhav Syd, a 168 MW project, was hooked up to the grid in January 2024, followed by the 176 MW Vesterhav Nord joining the national grid a few months later.

Together, the offshore wind farms are expected to generate an annual production of 1.5 TWh of fossil-free electricity, equal to the consumption of 350,000 households, Vattenfall said.

“By investing in additional offshore capacity, we’re making a tangible impact on Denmark’s energy independence while benefiting the local community. The Vesterhav projects will also help balancing the Danish electricity system as a whole”, said Helene Biström, Head of Business Area Wind at Vattenfall.