Offshore: North Sea projects get go-ahead

Another three offshore wind projects in the North Sea, totalling nearly 1 GW, have got the green light from the federal shipping office Bundesamt fur Seeschifffahrt und Hydrograph (BSH), Germany's permitting authority for projects in the exclusive economic zone of the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

1 November 2009

It brings the number of permitted projects in German exclusive economic zones to 24, comprising 1689 turbines.

Of these, 21 projects totalling up to 7.1 GW are located in the North Sea. The Baltic Sea projects, meanwhile, total around 900 MW. In addition, outside the BSH's jurisdiction, a 125 MW offshore project within the 12 nautical mile zone of the North Sea has been permitted by the local state authority. Similarly, two projects totalling 83 MW within the 12 nautical mile zone of the Baltic Sea have been rubber-stamped.

The latest project trio to successfully navigate the permitting process are Veja Mate and MEG Offshore 1, each comprising 80 turbines at 5 MW each, and the smaller Delta Nordsee 2, with 32 machines at 6 MW each. Veja Mate is owned by Cuxhaven Steel Construction, part of the Bard Engineering group which also manufactures 5 MW offshore turbines. MEG Offshore 1 is owned by Prokon Nord Energiesysteme, based in Leer, which owns 49% of offshore turbine builder Multibrid (French nuclear giant Areva holds 51%). Offshore-Windpark Delta Nordsee, part of E.on Energy Projects, owns Delta Nordsee 2.