Iberdrola’s 476MW Baltic Eagle wind farm in the German Baltic Sea is set to be commissioned in 2024, after the wind farm won permitting approval from Germany’s federal maritime and hydrographic agency (BSH).
The project will comprise 50 of Vestas V174-9.5MW turbines.
The company said it is now in the ‘construction phase’ and already has partners working offshore at the site of the 476MW project to ensure the area is safe for further construction. It has commissioned detailed investigation of the seabed to search for explosive ordnance and employed a professional disposal company.
Iberdrola says the offshore substation will be delivered to the site this year, built and operated jointly by Iberdrola and grid operator 50Hertz.
Meanwhile, fabrication of the major turbine components is under way. The 50 monopiles are being fabricated by Rostock-based EEW Group Special Pipe Constructions, and it stated that the first monopile is now complete. Spanish company Windar has fabricated the first transition piece and the installation process is being tested in a mock-up trial.
Iberdrola added that the construction phase will be an “intensive campaign” that will see “all central components” installed on site in 2023, to maintain a schedule for commissioning in 2024.
Iris Stempfle, managing director of Iberdrola in Germany, said she was pleased about the positive decision and grateful for the “constructive dialogue” with the authorities. She said Iberdrola is aiming to have 1.1GW of capacity in the area by 2026.
Baltic Eagle joins the 350MW Wikinger wind farm in Germany’s ‘Baltic Hub’, which is expected to be expanded to over 1GW with the upcoming 315MW Windanker project. Signing the lease for operations and maintenance facilities for Baltic Eagle in September, Stempfle said that to achieve further expansion the state government will have to designate more areas for renewable energy and simplify permitting procedures.
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