Waterekke Energy (N-9.3)

Luxcara signed a capacity reservation agreement with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for the Waterekke offshore wind project, securing 97 offshore wind turbines each rated at 15.5 MW (including power boost) for the 1,500 MW project in the German North Sea. The agreement, concluded after an international tender, confirms Siemens Gamesa as the turbine technology provider for Waterekke, which is scheduled to connect to the national grid in 2029.

By 25 August 2025, Luxcara had submitted the approval documents for the 1.5 GW Waterekke offshore wind farm on site N‑9.3 to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), marking the formal submission of the project’s plan approval application in line with the German offshore permitting regime.

Luxcara awarded German engineering firm Jörss-Blunck-Ordemann (JBO) a contract covering geotechnical expertise and foundation design for the FEED and detailed design phases of the 1.5 GW Waterekke offshore wind farm on site N-9.3 in the German EEZ. The appointment makes JBO responsible for developing site-specific foundation solutions for the project as it progresses through late-stage engineering design.

The Bundesnetzagentur awarded site N-9.3 in the German North Sea, with an expected capacity of 1.5 GW, to Waterekke Energy GmbH (owned by Luxcara) in the centrally pre-investigated offshore wind auction, granting the company the right to a planning approval procedure and to grid connection capacity for the Waterekke project.

BSH completed and published the suitability examination and environmental report for site N-9.3, including assessments of marine environment, subsoil, and wind and oceanographic conditions needed for an environmental impact study and capacity determination for the future Waterekke offshore wind farm.

As part of the strategic environmental assessment and suitability examination for N-9.3, BSH finalised documents such as shipping studies, a North Sea risk analysis, and environmental reports on marine mammals, birds, benthos, fish, and biotopes, mapping key environmental and navigational constraints for the planned Waterekke project area.

BSH completed hydrographic and geophysical surveys for the N-9 area, including site N-9.3, and issued final reports on hydrographic measurements and geophysical investigations, providing detailed seabed and sub-seabed data for the Waterekke offshore wind site.

The geological and geotechnical site investigation for N-9.3, carried out under BSH’s preliminary investigation programme, was completed and documented in a geological report and geotechnical data report, characterising subsurface conditions for future Waterekke foundation and design work.

BSH finalised other environmental baseline surveys for site N-9.3, including reports on marine mammals, resting and migratory birds, benthos, fish, and biotopes, as well as an environmental report specific to N-9.3, completing the environmental data package for the future Waterekke offshore wind farm.

On 28 February 2024, the Bundesnetzagentur’s Decision Chamber 6 initiated the auction procedure for centrally pre-investigated offshore wind site N-9.3 under §50 of the Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG) and published the official tender notice. This regulatory step formally opened the bidding process for developers to compete for the rights to construct and operate a 1,500 MW offshore wind farm on site N-9.3, later developed as Waterekke.

Following completion of the suitability examination and strategic environmental assessment for site N‑9.3, the German government issued the 4th Offshore Wind Energy Ordinance (4. WindSeeV) on 20 February 2024, formally determining the suitability of sites N‑9.1, N‑9.2, and N‑9.3 for offshore wind development and making the associated environmental report and suitability documentation for N‑9.3 available for public inspection from 4 March 2024.

On 20 February 2024, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) completed the suitability assessment for the offshore wind areas N-9.1, N-9.2, and N-9.3 and had their suitability formally established by the Fourth Offshore Wind Energy Ordinance (4. WindSeeV). This ordinance, later published in the Federal Law Gazette, confirms that site N-9.3 in the German EEZ is suitable for offshore wind development and fixes the site’s key parameters, including an expected installed capacity of 1,500 MW, forming the regulatory basis for the subsequent auction and project development of Waterekke on this site.

Germany formally confirmed the suitability of offshore sites N-9.1, N-9.2, and N-9.3 for offshore wind development through the 4th Offshore Wind Energy Ordinance (4. WindSeeV), thereby designating N-9.3 as an approved site for a 1.5 GW wind farm later developed as Waterekke.

On 31 August 2023, BSH opened national participation procedures for site N‑9.3’s suitability examination and associated environmental reports, followed on 1 September by publication of draft suitability examinations, suitability determinations, and environmental reports for N‑9.1, N‑9.2, and N‑9.3, with cross-border consultation initiated on 6 September and an online hearing held on 22 November 2023, completing the public and stakeholder consultation phase for the site’s strategic environmental assessment and suitability review.

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) initiated the procedure for the preliminary investigation of site N‑9.3 and, on 4 December 2020, publicly announced the start of the process and published the draft investigation framework (Untersuchungsrahmen) describing the intended scope and content of the investigations, thereby opening stakeholder and public participation for the site that will host the 1.5 GW Waterekke offshore wind farm.