Nordsee One offshore wind farm starts commercial operation
December 19, 2017
- 332 megawatt wind farm completed on schedule and below its total budget of €1.2 billion
- Green electricity for some 400,000 households
- Nordsee One is owned by Northland Power (85%) and innogy SE (15%)
Yesterday, the 332 MW Nordsee One offshore wind farm, located approximately 40 km north of the island of Juist, achieved full completion. The project was fully commissioned on schedule and below its total budget of €1.2 billion. Nordsee One is owned by Northland Power Inc. (85%) and innogy SE (15%).
John Brace, CEO of Northland Power, noted: “Today’s announcement represents another important achievement for Northland. The successful completion of our second offshore wind farm demonstrates Northland’s ability to deliver large-scale sustainable energy infrastructure that creates long-term value.”
All 54 turbines have been sending power to the grid since September 2017. Full completion marks the official end of construction and the start of the operational phase of the project. Also the terms required to satisfy the project lenders for term conversion have been achieved.
Hans Bünting, COO Renewables of innogy SE, explained: “Thanks to its continuous input into the grid and its high electricity yields, offshore wind farms – like Nordsee One – make a significant contribution towards a diversified and reliable energy supply system. With an installed capacity of more than 900 megawatts in offshore wind, innogy is one of the major operators in Europe – and we want to grow further.”
Pierre Lestienne, Managing Director (CFO) of Nordsee One GmbH said: “We have reached commercial operation on schedule and below budget. This outcome is the result of efficient, focused execution and thanks to the dedication of everyone involved.” Tim Kittelhake, Managing Director (COO) of Nordsee One GmbH added: “We were able to deliver a high-quality project thanks to strong cooperation with our shareholders, Northland Power and innogy, as well as within the project team. Everyone should be proud of their respective achievements.”
The 54 wind turbines were stored, pre-assembled and loaded on the installation vessel “MPI Enterprise” from the Dutch base port located in Eemshaven. Each Senvion 6.2M126 wind turbine measures approximately 150 metres from sea level to blade tip.
The turbines are connected to the offshore substation – the nerve center of the Wind farm – by ten strings of cables with an overall length of approximately 70 kilometres. The electricity generated at sea is transmitted to the nearest grid access point at Hagermarsch.
The wind farm is expected to produce an annual output of more than 1,300 gigawatt-hours of green energy, enough to supply the equivalent of approximately 400,000 German households. The wind farm will be operated and serviced from the operation and maintenance base in Norddeich (Germany, Lower-Saxony).
The Nordsee One project was co-funded by the NER 300 programme of the European Union.