EWE, RWE, and Vattenfall are selling their shares in the alpha ventus offshore wind farm to Ocean Breeze Energy.
The change of ownership opens the prospect of Germany’s first offshore wind farm, situated around 45 km north of Borkum, continuing to operate beyond its originally planned lifespan. Commissioned in 2010, the wind farm pioneered German offshore wind energy. As a demonstration and testing platform, the joint project provided important insights into technologies as well as operational and maintenance concepts.
Jantje Bolduan, Offshore Manager at EWE AG, commented: “As Germany’s first offshore wind farm, alpha ventus played a key role. The project was a unique testing ground and learning environment for technologies, operational and maintenance concepts, and the development of offshore expertise. The consortium has achieved its objectives and gained insights that continue to inform modern offshore wind projects to this day.”
Ocean Breeze Energy plans to continue operations beyond the intended 20-year lifespan. Experience with comparable technology at the neighbouring BARD wind farm, operational synergies and proprietary technical solutions provide a solid foundation for this.
Jean Huby, CEO of Ocean Breeze, added: “With BARD Offshore 1, we have over 10 years of experience in the management of offshore wind farms with a legacy turbine technology and we see considerable potential for a profitable operation of alpha ventus. We want to open a new chapter in the alpha ventus success story and fully use the potential of this pioneer project to contribute positively to the energy transition and to net zero.”
The transaction marks the start of a new chapter for alpha ventus. The new ownership structure is designed to ensure that the existing infrastructure can be used to generate renewable electricity for as long as possible.
The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction. The transaction is expected to be completed shortly in 4Q26.
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