Citizens' Wind Park Reußenköge

The Citizens' Wind Park Reußenköge stands as one of the most striking examples of a successful, citizen-funded energy transition in Germany—and is simultaneously a project deeply rooted in its local community. Located near the North Sea coast, one of the region's first wind turbines was erected here at Dirkshof in 1989. What began as a pioneering achievement has since evolved into one of the largest citizen-owned wind parks in the world.

Milestones & Development

Over the years, around 90 large-scale wind turbines have been installed in Reußenköge—including models by VESTAS, SENVION, and NORDEX. The generated electricity is efficiently fed into regional and national grids via dedicated substations and over 10 kilometers of cable routes.

Since 2024, a modern 16 MW battery storage system has complemented the energy infrastructure, enhancing grid stability. A second storage unit with 40 MW capacity is already in planning and scheduled to go online by the end of 2025.

Repowering for the Future

As part of a large-scale repowering initiative in 2022, a total of 20 older turbines (each 2.0 MW) were replaced by modern Nordex N117 rated at 3.6 MW each. Additionally, four VESTAS V112 turbines rated at 3.45 MW each were installed—deliberate steps to increase efficiency and optimize land use.

Already in 2020, 13 older turbines had been replaced by 12 new VESTAS V112 units. Each of these turbines generates approximately 10 million kWh annually, saving about 7,530 tons of CO₂ compared to the old models.

Today, the total rated capacity of the wind park is an impressive 302 MW—a substantial contribution to climate-neutral energy supply in Schleswig-Holstein and beyond.

Merger and Citizen Participation

A decisive milestone came in 2015 with the merger of six separate wind farms to form the Citizens' Wind Park Reußenköge. This consolidation enabled not only efficient land management and coordinated technical development but also laid the groundwork for an innovative participation model: Almost all residents of Reußenköge are co-owners—a true community project.

To date, 63 turbines in the 3 MW class have been connected to the grid through repowering, totalling around 215 MW of rated output. Once fully expanded, the wind park will consist of 90 modern turbines generating around 1 billion kWh annually—enough to supply approximately 1 million people or 250,000 households.

Security for Energy Installations

According to Section 11(1b) of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG), operators of energy installations connected to the public grid must implement measures to ensure that grid operations are not jeopardized. IT security is particularly crucial, as these installations form part of Germany’s critical infrastructure. The applicable standards are defined in the BSI Critical Infrastructure Regulation (BSI-KritisV) and must be demonstrably fulfilled.

The Citizens' Wind Park Reußenköge has successfully completed this certification and received official approval.

Role of Dirkshof

From the very beginning, Dirkshof has been a key project partner: from planning and permitting to construction and ongoing business and operational management. For the entire team, this project represents more than just a technical accomplishment—it's a contribution to regional value creation and the energy transition, right on their doorstep.