Offshore wind news: Gennaker reaches financial close as floating wind, installation and tech projects advance
Key highlights:
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Skyborn achieved financial close for the 976.5-MW Gennaker offshore wind farm in Germany.
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X1 Wind secured new funding to advance commercialization of its floating wind technology.
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Masdar signed agreements with RWE and Luxcara to pursue more than €8 billion in potential offshore wind and energy storage investments across Europe.
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Boskalis' Windpiper began subsea rock installation work at the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind projects in Poland.
Recent developments across the offshore wind sector include major project financing, floating wind commercialization, new investment agreements and installation milestones.
Skyborn reaches financial close for 976.5-MW Gennaker offshore wind farm
Skyborn Renewables has achieved financial close for its 976.5-MW Gennaker offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea.
The project ranks among the larger offshore wind developments currently progressing in German waters and marks the transition from development into full-scale construction.
The Gennaker project, 15 km north of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, is a co-development with Stadtwerke München.
Financial close confirms all major project agreements are in place, including debt and equity financing, power purchase arrangements, and key supply and installation contracts.
The project is now entering the execution phase, with commercial operations expected by the end of 2028.
Last year, Skyborn secured all major supply and installation contracts for the foundations, inner array grid cable system and wind turbine generators with contractors including Rostock-based EEW Special Pipe Constructions, Dajin Heavy Industry, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier, Seaway 7, Boskalis and TKF.
X1 Wind secures new funding, advances NextFloat commercialization
In Barcelona, floating offshore wind developer X1 Wind has closed its fourth strategic funding round, an operation led by Grow VP, which will take on 8%, with Avançsa also joining with a similar share. Technip Energies is among the other backers.
The funding will support X1 Wind's transition from technology validation to commercial deployment. The company is now advancing the NextFloat Project, with deployment of the X100 8.5-MW platform at the PlemCat test site in north-east Spain, with manufacturing set to start in 2027.
The company said it has already secured contracts for the larger 15-20 MW X150 platform for projects in Europe and Asia.
The lightweight platform design is said to deliver capex savings of up to 50% compared with other pre-commercial floating wind projects recently installed in Europe.
Innovation such as the proprietary Quick Connector System are said to provide connection and disconnection operations to be completed within one day, reducing hookup times by over 80% when compared with other pre-commercial projects.
Masdar expands European offshore wind ambitions
Masdar signed agreements with RWE and energy infrastructure asset manager Luxcara aimed at advancing offshore wind and energy storage investments in Germany and across Europe.
The agreements include a potential investment of more than €3 billion (US$3.4 billion) tied to future German offshore wind auctions with RWE and more than €5 billion (US$5.7 billion) in prospective offshore wind and battery storage projects with Luxcara.
Windpiper begins offshore installation work in Poland
Boskalis said its recently commissioned subsea rock installation vessel Windpiper has placed its first rock at the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea.
Developed by Equinor and Polenergia, the projects mark the vessel's maiden assignment, with nearly 45,000 metric tons of rock loaded in Norway for cable protection work.
LIGHTWIND tests drivetrain for larger turbines
LIGHTWIND reported it has completed testing of its modular drivetrain concept designed for next-generation offshore wind turbines exceeding 15 MW.
The company said the architecture could improve reliability and simplify maintenance while supporting turbines of up to 22 MW and potentially 30 MW.
The technology is intended to help address growing industry demand for more powerful offshore wind installations.
Vroon begins offshore wind vessel charter
Vroon Offshore Services has entered the offshore wind emergency response and rescue vessel (ERRV) market through a charter for the East Anglia TWO and East Anglia THREE projects in the UK North Sea. The company said its vessel VOS Traveller will support construction activities under a long-term contract, marking Vroon's expansion into the offshore wind support sector.
About the Author
Jeremy BeckmanJeremy Beckman
Staff Writer / Editor, Europe
Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.
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With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective.
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Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.
She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.