Iberdrola has received the green light to begin construction of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm, the company’s second major offshore project in the Baltic Sea (Germany).
With a capacity of 476 MW, Baltic Eagle will be capable of supplying renewable energy to 475,000 homes and will prevent the emission of more than 800,000 tons of CO2 per year. The construction phase starts after obtaining approvals from the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). The wind farm will be fully operational by the end of 2024.
Located 30 kilometers northeast of the island of Rügen, off the coast of Pomerania, Baltic Eagle is part of what will be the largest offshore wind complex in the Baltic Sea, with a total installed capacity of more than 1,100 MW and a combined investment of 3.5 billion euros. This hub also includes the Wikinger (350 MW) offshore wind farm, commissioned at the end of 2017, and Windanker (300 MW), which will start operating in 2026.
The company has now started work to locate and remove unexploded ordnance from the seabed to ensure the safety of the works while continuing to progress with the production of the foundation components.
The Spanish company Windar has already manufactured the first of the 50 transition pieces that the facility will have, which join the wind turbine towers to the foundations. Loading to Germany is scheduled for the beginning of 2023.
In addition, Germany’s EEW SPC has completed the first monopile at its Rostock plant. With a diameter of around 9 meters, a length of between 75 and 90 meters and a maximum weight of up to 1,402 tons, the 50 monopiles in the fleet will be completed in early 2023.
The offshore substation is also on schedule and the platform is expected to be delivered this year for installation at the site. This substation is under construction and will be used jointly by Iberdrola and 50Hertz, the transmission system operator in northeast Germany and responsible for connecting the offshore wind farm to the grid.
