The Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm off the coast of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is now supplying its full capacity to the German electricity transmission system, providing consumers with an additional 250 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. 50Hertz built the submarine and onshore cable connection to the Lubmin substation and worked with wind farm operator Parkwind to construct the offshore platform. This is where the cables from the 27 wind turbines converge and the electricity they generate is transformed to extra-high voltage. 50Hertz will be adding more offshore grid connections in this sea area in the coming years.
Next year, another offshore wind farm, Baltic Eagle, is set to enter operation via the 50Hertz Ostwind 2 grid connection system, to which the Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm is also connected. The offshore substation for Baltic Eagle was installed in the summer, and Spanish company Iberdrola is currently building a total of 50 towers for the wind turbines, which will have a combined capacity of around 475 MW.
Stefan Kapferer, Chief Executive Officer of 50Hertz, says: “The expansion of offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea continues. Today’s official commissioning of the Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm, on schedule, is the result of professional and effective cooperation between the wind farm operator and grid operator and is a fine example of European teamwork. Further offshore grid connection projects are currently being planned or are in the approval process at 50Hertz. In this context, cross-border projects such as Bornholm Energy Island will become increasingly important in the future. Germany needs green electricity to ensure security of supply, and other Baltic Sea countries have generation surpluses that they can market. 50Hertz will work at all levels to develop this potential in a way that is economically fair for all parties.”
In the sea area off the coast of Rügen, two wind farms – Wikinger (Iberdrola) and Arkona (RWE) – have been supplying electricity via the 50Hertz Ostwind 1 grid connection system since late 2019, with a capacity of 735 MW. In 2024, 50Hertz will begin preparatory work on the route for the Ostwind 3 project, which will largely run parallel to Ostwind 1 and 2 and will connect the planned Windanker wind farm – another Iberdrola project. The required submarine and onshore cable system will not terminate at the Lubmin substation, but at a new substation nearby.
Germany’s largest wind farm in the Baltic to date, with a capacity of approximately 1,000 MW, is to be built in the same sea area, just a few kilometres further west. TotalEnergies purchased a site for this at an auction in the summer. To this end, 50Hertz has launched a planning and approval procedure for a direct current grid connection system (Ostwind 4), the first of its kind in the Baltic Sea. This will require both an offshore and an onshore converter to transform the direct and alternating current.
An overview of the offshore grid connection projects that have already been completed or are in the approval process can be found on our grid development map here.
Documentation about the Ostwind 2 grid connection project, including impressive film footage, can be found on YouTube channel here.
Source: 50Hertz
