Vattenfall has been awarded both of the offshore wind sites on offer in Denmark's latest tender, taking Hesselø in the Kattegat Sea and North Sea I Mid off the coast of Hvide Sande. Together the two projects add a minimum of 1.8 GW of new offshore wind capacity to the Swedish state-owned utility's portfolio and mark the successful reboot of a Danish tender programme that produced zero bids in late 2024.
Two projects, 1.8 GW combined
The Hesselø offshore wind farm sits roughly 30 km from the Danish coast in the Kattegat Sea between Denmark and Sweden, with a minimum installed capacity of 800 MW. North Sea I Mid is located about 20 km off Hvide Sande in the North Sea and will deliver at least 1,000 MW. Both sites have grid connection reserved at a point approximately 50 km inland, and consents run 30 years with an option for a 10-year extension.
Doubling down on Denmark
Vattenfall already operates five offshore wind farms in Denmark that together produce around 6.5 TWh of electricity annually — enough for roughly 1.5 million homes — and holds about 1.5 GW of existing offshore capacity in the country. "Winning both projects reflects our continued ambition to grow our offshore wind portfolio and support the electrification of industry and society," said David Flood, head of Vattenfall's Business Unit Offshore. The utility framed the awards as a signal that offshore wind can still scale in Northern Europe with a focus on affordability after the collapse of Denmark's previous 3 GW tender.
Tender-reboot in a tough offshore market
Denmark's revamped procurement framework is being closely watched across Europe after two years of cancelled auctions, cost inflation and turbine-supply constraints. Analysts have flagged the Vattenfall awards as evidence that experienced developers can still make offshore economics work when governments underwrite grid connection and simplify permits. The wins add to an already busy 2026 for European offshore construction, including Ocean Winds' EFGL floating wind farm coming online in France and Ecowende's Hollandse Kust West Vestas turbine milestone.
Fossil-free ambitions
Vattenfall said both projects will be developed with environmental and social factors integrated from the outset. The company will now work with partners and Danish authorities to move the two sites through consent and construction, targeting full operations by 2032. The awards complement Vattenfall's parallel push into small modular nuclear at Ringhals in Sweden and Denmark's broader hydrogen-and-clean-energy roadmap seen in the Engie/European Energy Kasso renewable hydrogen project.
Reporting based on coverage from Vattenfall Group, Offshore Wind and Energy Global.