The Hanseatic and University City of Rostock and electricity transmission system operator 50Hertz entered a leasehold contract with a term of at least 60 years for a plot in the Warnemünde harbour. On the surface of around 23,000 square metres, 50Hertz will build the Rostock Offshore Quartier (ROQ). The new site will include an administrative building as well as indoor and outdoor storage with dock connection and berths for supply and transport vessels. A total of approximately 180 employees will work on the site.

The plot is located right near the open sea and is therefore an ideal site for the operational management of the electrotechnical installations in the Baltic Sea. In the administrative building with 100 flex-desk workspaces, 50Hertz will accommodate several units:

  • the Maritime Coordination Center (MCC) for the deployment planning of vessels and helicopters, maritime surveillance and crisis management in case of average or accidents.
  • the Offshore Control Center (OCC) for the control and monitoring of substations at sea with around-the-clock operational readiness.
  • the Offshore Logistics Center with office, workshop and storage areas for the maintenance and repair of the offshore power grid and for the provisioning of the platforms. In the storage area, 50Hertz will, among other things, stock submarine cables on large turntables if repairs are ever necessary.

Eva-Maria Kröger, Mayor of the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock: “We want Rostock to become the leading location for renewable energies on the Baltic Sea.  The location decision by 50Hertz is a very important step on this path. Offshore wind energy presents great opportunities for our transformation to a carbon-neutral economy. 50Hertz already is an important partner for technology projects, including the Ocean Technology Campus. Together with the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, we are planning to provide the necessary space at the former shipyard basin in Warnemünde. Our administration and Rostock Business are closely supporting the project.”

Dr Dirk Biermann, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of 50Hertz: “The site in Rostock-Warnemünde in the immediate vicinity of the shipyards and important service providers is ideal for us so that we can bundle our offshore activities in the Baltic Sea. In the decades to come, the Baltic Sea will be an important electricity supplier, as major offshore projects are being approved or planned there. We are preparing for this well in time. We are investing around €80 million in this attractive location, which is ideally connected to the long-distance transport of Deutsche Bahn, local public transport and motorways.”

The intended plot for the Rostock Offshore Quartier still needs to be cleared and any contamination needs to be removed in the next few years. That is why, as of 2025, 50Hertz will establish a temporary office and storage area in containers nearby as a provisional measure. Completion of the ROQ is planned for 2028. Until then, the harbour basin will be deepened to 10 metres, so that the publicly accessible quayside can accommodate heavy-lift ships with a length up to 200 metres.

Source: 50Hertz