Milestone in the Thor Offshore Wind Farm: RWE Installs Turbine With low-CO2 Tower and Recyclable Rotor Blades

Essen (Germany) - Green steel is considered an important building block for the decarbonization of the energy-intensive industry. At the Thor offshore wind farm off the Danish coast, RWE has installed the first wind turbine featuring a low-CO₂ steel tower as well as recyclable rotor blades.

The construction of RWE’s Thor offshore wind farm, with a capacity of 1,100 MW, is currently progressing according to plan, and turbine installation has already begun. Once completed in 2027, Thor will be able to supply more than one million Danish households with electricity. Thor offshore wind farm is a joint project between RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%). RWE is in charge of construction and operations throughout the lifecycle of Thor.

Low-CO₂ steel and recycling technology in focus

A key technological component of the Thor offshore wind farm is the use of Siemens Gamesa’s GreenerTower steel towers. According to RWE, these are made from steel whose production generates at least 63 percent less CO₂ emissions than conventionally produced steel. This is made possible, among other things, through the use of renewable electricity in steel production as well as recycled scrap steel. Half of the 72 Siemens Gamesa turbines, with a capacity of up to 15 MW each, are to be equipped with these low-CO₂ steel towers. With the installation of the first turbine in the Thor offshore wind farm featuring a low-CO₂ steel tower, RWE has achieved an important milestone.

“Offshore wind already has one of the lowest life-cycle carbon footprints of power generation technologies. By using towers produced with greener steel and recyclable rotor blades, we are further reducing the carbon footprint and taking a significant step towards fully circular offshore wind,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind.

The project also sets new standards in the circular economy when it comes to rotor blades. A total of 40 of the 72 turbines will be equipped with 120 recyclable rotor blades. These are based on a special resin system designed to enable the later separation and recycling of composite materials. This allows the materials to be reused at the end of their life cycle, including in the automotive and consumer goods industries.

Siemens Gamesa manager Marc Becker commented: “Recyclable Blade is designed to enable composite materials to be recovered and recycled, addressing a growing end of life challenge.”

RWE is already deploying the technology in other offshore projects, including the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in Germany and Sofia in the United Kingdom.

Project on track: first turbines already feeding electricity into the grid

According to RWE, construction of the overall project is proceeding as planned. The offshore substation and all foundations were installed last year. Turbine installation is currently underway. Some turbines have already started feeding electricity into the Danish grid.

When Thor is fully operational in 2027, the wind farm is expected to generate enough green electricity to supply more than one million Danish households. The operation and maintenance plan foresees the creation of 50 to 60 local jobs in a new RWE service building, which was officially opened in March at the port of Thorsminde.

RWE already operates 18 offshore wind farms worldwide, including Rødsand 2, located south of the Danish island of Lolland. In addition to Thor in Denmark, the company is currently constructing three major offshore wind projects: the Sofia offshore wind farm (1.4 GW) in the United Kingdom, the Nordseecluster (1.6 GW, RWE share: 51%) off the German coast, and OranjeWind (795 MW, RWE share: 50%) in the Netherlands.

Source: IWR Online, Apr 04 2026