Authorisations have been granted for the grid connection of the Windanker offshore wind farm in territorial waters and in the EEZ.
Transmission system operator 50Hertz has received the planning approval decisions for the offshore route of the Ostwind 3 grid connection. This applies to the section in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the section in territorial waters (known as the 12 nautical mile zone). The plan approval process is still underway for the onshore route, which is the subject of the third authorisation section, and the substation.
Ostwind 3 is the grid connection project for the planned Windanker offshore wind farm, which is located north-east of the island of Rügen. In future, this wind farm will be able to inject 300 megawatts (MW) into the 50Hertz extra-high-voltage grid via onshore and offshore cables.
The Ministry of Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (WM M-V) has issued the planning approval decision for the 77.5-km-long cable route within the territorial waters, spanning from the EEZ to the connector between the onshore and offshore cables at the port of Vierow.
The responsible permit authority, namely the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), has issued the planning approval decision for the section in the EEZ. This encompasses the approx. 24-km-long cable route from the offshore substation and within the German EEZ as well as the construction of the offshore substation itself.
Finally, 50Hertz is awaiting approval of the approx. four-km-long onshore route, including the grid connection point, running from the connector at the port of Vierow to Stilow substation, which will be built in the municipality of Brünzow. WM M-V also serves as permit authority here.
In addition to the cable systems connecting the wind farm to the transmission system, 50Hertz will also handle the entirety of the planning, construction and operation of the offshore substation for the first time. Completion of the grid connection is scheduled for Q3 2026.
Source: 50 Hertz
