It should be almost as high as the Berlin television tower: that The world’s tallest wind turbine is currently being built in Schipkau in Lusatia. After a months-long break due to faulty steel parts, construction work has been in full swing again since Monday to complete the record project. In the end, the wind turbine will measure 365 meters – almost exactly the same as the Berlin TV Tower, and even 30 meters more than the Eiffel Tower.

Around 30 fitters, engineers and technicians are currently working on the former opencast mining site. A huge crane lifts meter-long steel elements into the air, which are then screwed together piece by piece. The first 50 meters of the lattice tower are already in place. All faulty steel parts should be replaced by the end of March, after which the actual high-altitude wind tower can continue to grow.

“Safety comes first”

The pilot plant was actually supposed to go online in 2025. But initially a nature conservation permit delayed the start by six months. Then, at the end of 2025, the construction company Gicon discovered deviations in steel elements supplied by a subcontractor during an internal quality control. “If something is wrong, we will interrupt again. Safety comes first!” emphasizes company founder and CEO Jochen Großmann.

According to their own information, the team used the winter months to check every centimeter installed. Affected parts are now being replaced with fault-free replacement components – these are already almost completely on the construction site. Every single screw is measured and documented, says Großmann. The replacement work should be completed by the end of March.

Telescopic tower for record height

Normally wind turbines end at around 180 meters – because conventional cranes can’t get any higher. Gicon solves the problem with a specially designed telescopic device.

1. From a height of 150 meters, the wings and power generator are placed on the top of the inner tower.
2. The telescopic device pushes both up over the outer tower.
3. Once at the top, both are installed.

The technology not only makes the wind turbine a record holder, but is also intended to make it more economically attractive. At high altitudes the wind blows stronger and more evenly. The result: an annual yield of a predicted 30 to 33 gigawatt hours. Enough for around 7,500 four-person households – and twice as much electricity as normal systems.

The so-called production costs for electricity should be less than five cents per kilowatt hour. As a rule, the cost per kilowatt hour for onshore wind turbines is between four and nine cents. “We are generating wind power from completely new heights – more productive, more reliable and more cost-effective,” says Großmann. His hope: that the design will become a “game changer” for the energy transition.

Resistance from hobby pilots

Not everyone in the region is completely happy. The local aero club had filed a lawsuit against the project on the grounds that air turbulence from the rotors could endanger flight operations. However, the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuit in May 2025.

The pilot plant is scheduled to feed electricity into the grid for the first time in summer 2026. The technology could then go into series production. Gicon expects great interest: According to the company, 500 to 1,000 high-altitude wind turbines will be built in Germany alone.