EWE, RWE and Vattenfall are selling their shares in the alpha ventus offshore wind farm to Ocean Breeze Energy, the companies announced on 1 October. Germany’s first offshore wind farm lies about 45 kilometres north of Borkum and was commissioned in 2010 with twelve turbines and a total capacity of 60 MW.
The new owner plans to operate the site beyond its originally intended 20-year lifespan. Ocean Breeze Energy owns and operates BARD Offshore 1, Germany’s first commercial offshore wind farm with 80 turbines and 400 MW, and is wholly owned by funds managed by Macquarie Asset Management. CEO Jean Huby said that experience with legacy turbine technology at BARD Offshore 1 gives the company a basis for profitable operation of alpha ventus.
The three sellers described alpha ventus as a testing ground for technologies, operation and maintenance concepts and offshore expertise. Jantje Bolduan, Offshore Manager at EWE, said the consortium had achieved its objectives and that its findings still inform modern projects.
The parties did not disclose financial details. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. The case is an early example of how owners may handle first-generation offshore wind farms as they approach the end of their planned lifetimes, a question that will also arise for Baltic projects in the coming decades.
