Denmark’s Thor Wind Farm Lays Its 1,500-Ton Foundations

Monster Monopiles Hit the North Sea

RWE has planted the first of 72 colossal monopile foundations for the 1.1 GW Thor offshore wind farm in the Danish North Sea, located 22 km off Jutland’s west coast. Each foundation stretches 100 meters—about the height of the Statue of Liberty—and weighs up to 1,500 metric tons, roughly equivalent to 1,000 small cars. These steel behemoths are being shipped from Eemshaven in the Netherlands and installed by the heavy-lift vessel Les Alizés, which carries five monopiles per trip.

“This isn’t just construction; it’s heavy metal ballet,” says an RWE engineer overseeing the installation.

Green Steel and Recyclable Blades

While scale impresses, sustainability steals the spotlight. The project reuses hard covers for monopile protection, sources CO2-reduced steel for 36 turbine towers, and equips 40 turbines with fully recyclable rotor blades. Secondary steel structures are managed from Port of Thyborøn, doubling as the project’s offshore nerve center. Meanwhile, turbine installation kicks off in 2026 from Port of Esbjerg, with full operation slated for 2027. Once live, Thor will power over one million Danish households and create 50–60 local jobs in Thorsminde.

RWE’s Offshore Empire Expands

RWE, a global offshore leader with 19 operational wind farms, sold a 49% stake in Thor and the Nordseecluster projects to Norges Bank Investment Management in March 2025—a deal underscoring institutional confidence in offshore wind. The article also nods to unrelated updates: Energy Global’s Spring 2025 issue and Full Circle Wind Services’ UK contract renewal. But for now, all eyes are on the North Sea, where 71 monopiles remain to be driven into the seabed.