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RWE and the town of Bedburg are continuing their successful partnership with the development of a third joint wind farm project. The new ‘Windpark Bedburg 3’ will feature nine wind turbines with a combined output of approximately 60 megawatts (MW), to be constructed on recultivated land at the Garzweiler open-cast mine. Once completed, the partnership will operate a total of 156 MW of wind energy in the Bedburg municipality.
Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2025, with the new site located near the existing ‘Königshovener Höhe’ and ‘Bedburg A44n’ wind farms. As with the previous projects, ownership of the new wind farm will be shared equally between RWE and the town of Bedburg. Additionally, RWE will provide 0.2 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity generated to surrounding communities, with Bedburg receiving up to €250,000 annually and the nearby town of Jüchen also benefitting.
Initial work will involve constructing access roads for the delivery of large components, followed by ground improvement using vibro-displacement compaction. Foundation work is expected to begin in summer 2025. The turbines will be connected to the public grid via RWE Power’s existing infrastructure at the Garzweiler site. Full commissioning of the final turbine is anticipated in the second half of 2026.
The new wind farm will include seven turbines with an output of 7 MW each—among the most powerful for onshore installations—and two turbines with a capacity of 5.7 MW each. The Bedburg projects highlight advancements in wind technology: ten years ago, the ‘Königshovener Höhe’ wind farm required 21 turbines to generate 67 MW, while ‘Bedburg 3’ achieves nearly the same capacity with fewer than half as many turbines.
Sascha Solbach, Major of Bedburg: “I am proud that the town of Bedburg, together with our partners, has been playing a pioneering role in the region’s energy transition for years. This is enormously important for the long-term structural change, but above all for our citizens, because the income from the wind farm will benefit our town and thus the local people.”
Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia: “As they say, all good things come in threes, and I am delighted that we are able to quickly realise another wind farm together with the town of Bedburg. Our shared goal of developing wind energy and making the most of the ideal site conditions on the recultivated land is the basis of our long-standing and trusting relationship, which all the people of Bedburg will benefit from.”
