Sassnitz, November 2022. The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has successfully completed a boulder detection campaign off the coast of the island of Rügen in the German Baltic Sea on behalf of 50Hertz. In order to allow efficient planning of the grid operator’s new offshore platform seismic measuring techniques have been employed to [...]
So far 30 GW offshore wind farms in Europe are nearly all connected to the energy system through subsea power cables that run to mother country. As WindEurope indicates in the not-too-distant future many of them will connect to new “energy islands” which will centralise the transmission of the energy they produce. Some of these [...]
EU countries have earmarked around 52,000 km2 for wind energy development, as shown in WindEurope's analysis of offshore spatial plans. Such an area, if fully utilized, will allow the installation of 220 GW of wind power. Among the leaders are Belgium and Germany, which together want to allocate 15% of their territorial waters for wind [...]
The leaders of the Baltic Sea electricity transmission system operators met in Helsinki on 2nd of November to discuss the energy crisis in Europe and the electricity adequacy of the region. The transmission system operators of the Baltic Sea region actively cooperate and share information on the security and the electricity supply situation in the [...]
The German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action has announced new targets for offshore wind energy. The plan is to accelerate offshore investment in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea - to reach a target of 30 GW in 2030, 50 GW in 2035 and even 70 GW by 2045. The agreement was [...]
Deutsche WindGuard Inspection GmbH has expanded its technical inspection portfolio for onshore and offshore wind turbine generators (WTGs) to include drone-based inspection. […]
Denmark and Germany have agreed to complete the planned Bornholm Energy Island, after Ministers Habeck and Jørgensen gave the green light for it to be annexed to their countries. Once established in 2030, the Energy Island will be the first of its kind that can supply 3.3 to 4.5 million [...]
The key to increasing the amount of German offshore wind power capacity lies in a compromise approach to land use. This is the main conclusion of an analysis prepared by the Fraunhofer IWES research institute on behalf of the Federal Association of Offshore Wind Farm Operators (BWO) and the German [...]
On 30 August 2022 the Heads of Governments and Energy Ministers of the 8 countries around the Baltic Sea signed the Marienborg Declaration. They committed to new volumes for the build-out of offshore wind in the Baltic Sea and agreed to cooperate more closely on it and on energy more [...]
The following text is published courtesy of the author Benjamin Wehrmann and the Clean Energy Wire website. Author: Benjamin Wehrmann, Clean Energy Wire Offshore wind power has been the last of several renewable power technologies rolled out at a large scale in Germany’s energy transition but has shown its ability [...]
Two of the biggest global events for the wind industry will take place in September. German Hamburg will host the Expo and the WindEnergy Congress. There will be no shortage of Polish wind industry representatives there. They will be presented at a joint stand by Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA). [...]
A major milestone was achieved at Parkwind’s Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm over the weekend when DEME Offshore installed its final XXL monopile in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Rügen. This was the first project executed by DEME’s new floating installation vessel ‘Orion’, which installed the foundations [...]
The offshore platform Arcadis Ost is now connected to the German extra-high voltage grid. The 220 kV submarine cable system required for this was pulled into place on the platform over the past few days. Final assembly work will now follow. Afterwards, extensive tests of the systems are imminent. [...]
The German Parliament has adopted a new Offshore Wind Law (WindSeeG). It makes important changes to the design of Germany’s offshore wind auctions. It established two different types of auctions, one of which involves negative bidding with no caps on the amounts developers bid. This is bad: uncapped negative bidding means additional costs for electricity [...]
Vos Prodect continues to support the major offshore wind farm projects in 2022. The company will be the Cable Hang-Off supplier for the TKF cable project Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm. […]
In 2022-2027, Semco Maritime will perform service assignments on the Arcadis Ost 1 project’s offshore substation, which Semco Maritime has been responsible for designing and implementing all electrical systems on during the construction phase. The project is expected to be commissioned in late 2023 and will contribute 257 MW of green energy to the European [...]
With the conditional order of 103 Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbines with up to 9 MW capacity each and the start of the main soil investigation at each individual turbine location, wpd has started the realization of the Gennaker offshore wind farm located 15 kilometers off the Baltic Sea coast near the Darß peninsula. At [...]
The application documents for the section in the EEZ relate both to the construction and operation of the approximately 24-kilometre-long submarine cable and to 50Hertz’s own transformer platform at the Windanker wind farm. The planning approval authority – the BSH – is currently checking the documents for completeness. […]
Parkwind, 50Hertz and Bladt Industries are thrilled to announce the successful installation of the Arcadis Ost offshore substation (OSS). The 2380 ton structure was installed by the Scaldis crane vessel Gulliver on its monopile foundation in the wind farm Arcadis Ost 1 located around 19 kilometres east of Rügen in Germany. […]
NGOs, wind industry and Transmission System Operators (TSOs), working collaboratively in OCEaN, call for a strong EU Restoration Law with clear and quantifiable legally binding targets, as well as implementation and enforcement rules that enable ecologically-sound offshore wind and electricity deployment. […]
Parkwind and DEME Offshore announce the successful installation of the first Arcadis Ost 1 monopile foundation. This foundation will carry the windfarm’s substation. The 2,100tons, 9.5m diameter, 110m long monopile is one of the biggest ever installed and marks the first of 28 foundations to be installed over the coming weeks. With the installation of [...]
One of the leading component manufacturers in the offshore wind sector, Siemens Gamesa, has published a white paper entitled “Unlocking European Energy Security”. The authors of the publication argue that the development of the hydrogen economy will not be possible without rapid implementation of RES. Green hydrogen is the key to unlocking energy security in [...]
Parkwind and DEME Offshore announce the successful installation of the first Arcadis Ost 1 monopile foundation. This foundation will carry the windfarm’s substation. The 2,100tons, 9.5m diameter, 110m long monopile is one of the biggest ever installed and marks the first of 28 foundations to be installed over the coming weeks. […]
UK-based Njord Offshore and Flensburg-based FRS Windcat Offshore Logistics have signed contracts with EnBW Offshore Services to supply crew transfer vessels for the Baltic 1 and Baltic 2 offshore wind farm projects. The wind farms will be built in Germany’s Baltic Sea waters. […]
Iberdrola is organising an IBERDROLA B2B Supplier Day on June 7 in Rostock. The Spanish developer is seeking service and component suppliers for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm project among companies in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. […]
Vos Prodect has been awarded by JDR Cable Systems to supply the Cable Hang-Off Systems for the offshore wind farm Arcadis Ost 1. The 257 MW offshore wind farm, which is developed by Parkwind Ost GmbH, will be located 19 km off the German island Rügen in the Baltic Sea. […]
Offshore wind energy is one of the areas where Germany and the U.S. will pursue an energy partnership. The signing of a joint declaration by representatives of the two countries took place on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers in Berlin. […]
According to the Port of Roenne, all XXL foundations for the wind turbines on the Arcardis Ost 1 power plant have been stored at the Port of Roenne. DEME Offshore is responsible for their installation. The ship Orion is already in the port of Roenne. […]
Foreign ministers of the Baltic Sea states met on 25 May 2022 in Norway, for the first ministerial session of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in nine years. The representatives of the Baltic Sea region confirmed the Vilnius II Declaration and signed a new one – the [...]
On May 17, representatives of RES developer Iberdrola laid the cornerstone for the second operations building for the Baltic Eagle and Windanker offshore wind farms. The building will be built in the Mukran Port in Sassnitz. […]
Environmental organizations are speaking out in response to plans for further expansion of offshore wind in Germany. Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) is calling on the German government to treat nature conservation equally to electricity production goals. This includes offshore wind energy. […]
The Bundestag will hold the first reading of the second draft of the amendment to the Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG). According to the Federal Association of Wind Farm Operators Offshore (BWO), little consideration has been given to industrial policy requirements to date. […]
Germany’s largest seaport Hamburg and Lithuania’s seaport Klaipeda intend to cooperate more closely on developing and implementing joint projects and creating new logistics routes between Germany and Lithuania. In addition, Lithuania invites German companies to participate in the construction of an offshore wind farm near Klaipeda and to take advantage of the opportunities offered by [...]
Global Infrastructure Partners, a leading independent infrastructure investor, and wpd, a leading project developer and independent renewables power producer (IRPP) for onshore wind, offshore wind and solar, are pleased to announce that they have signed definitive agreements for GIP to acquire 100% of wpd offshore GmbH, the offshore wind business of wpd. The transaction is [...]
Production of the world’s longest high-voltage DC underground power cable system for partners in SuedLink, TenneT and TransnetBW, has started at the NKT factory in Karlskrona, Sweden. […]
German electricity system operator 50Hertz said that in preparation for the start of the plan approval process for the Ostwind 3 offshore connection project, two consultation meetings were held – in December 2021 and February 2022. […]
Spanish RES developer announced that they have signed an agreement for the largest green loan of €1 billion with a guarantee from the Export Credit Agency. The funding will be used to purchase onshore and offshore wind turbines, among others, in Poland and Germany. […]
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 [...]
The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) has announced that it has issued its decision to approve the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm project after a public consultation and an environmental impact assessment (EIA). […]
On Thursday 14 April, Elia Group teams welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Employment, Pierre-Yves Dermagne, to the construction site of the Arcadis Ost platform in Aalborg, Denmark. […]
The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA), a collaboration between nine offshore wind developers, is launching 16 new research and development (R&D) projects this year. These span five key areas of logistics and operations and maintenance, cables, electrical systems, foundations, yield and performance. […]
At the beginning of April, the German government adopted the so-called Easter Package at the request of Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck. This is the largest change to the country’s energy policy regulations in decades. According to the premise, the Easter Package [...]
Spanish energy giant Iberdrola is to seek buyers for a minority stake in the Wikinger offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The Expansion newspaper’s information is cited by Reuters. […]
The research project by EnBW and DLR explores the use of logistics and passenger drones to service offshore wind farms: flying people and material out to sea. […]
German airline German Airways, logistics company Zeitfracht Group, and drone manufacturer Wingcopter, are starting to cooperate in the area of drone use for offshore deliveries. Drones will also be able to deliver, among other things, wind turbine spare parts for offshore wind farm sites. […]
Accelerated offshore wind development pleases the German business, but it is a major challenge for the industry. Companies in the supply sector need to take steps to upskill current employees and provide necessary training. These are the conclusions of the Institute for Trend and Market Research wind:research, which presents data on the wind energy [...]
More than 40 senior representatives from politics, trade unions, business, and science discussed the role of the shipyard in the development of offshore wind energy at the MV Werften site in Rostock-Warnemünde. The development of the offshore wind sector in Germany will depend on the health of the maritime industry, [...]
On March 23, 2022, William Beuckelaers, managing director of OffshoreWind4Kids, DNV, Northland Power Europe (NPE), the Competence Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CC4E) at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) and the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation signed an agreement in Hamburg on cooperation with OffshoreWind4Kids within [...]
– Over the past few weeks, we have made intensive efforts with all relevant players to import less fossil fuels from Russia and expand its supply. The first important milestones have been reached to free us from the grip of Russian imports, the Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic [...]
The company Baltic Eagle GmbH has contracted Heerema Marine Contractors for the transport and installation of the Offshore Substation (OSS) for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. […]
Germany is currently working on a draft offshore wind energy law (WindSeeG). The Federal Association of Wind Farm Operators Offshore (BWO) has submitted comments and recommendations to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on measures to accelerate offshore wind development. […]
German manufacturer EEW Special Pipe Constructions GmbH completed the first monopile for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm, which will be built in German North Sea waters, on 18 February, according to industry media. […]
In March, a virtual meeting was held between representatives of the Pomeranian Platform for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy, the city of Bremen, and the German WAB cluster based in Bremerhaven. Participants agreed that development of offshore wind energy is a great opportunity for cooperation between Pomerania Region in [...]
Elia Group has announced that it is expanding its international offshore transmission infrastructure business through a new subsidiary – WindGrid. Markus Laukamp will start as CEO on 1 April 2022. […]
Offshore Wind Energy Centre was established at the Maritime University of Gdynia. Breakthrough management studies for offshore wind sector staff will be launched in Poland in March. The Polish university is carrying them out in cooperation with Hochschule Bremerhaven and Business Academy SouthWest – leaders of management and specialist programmes for the Offshore Wind Energy [...]
The Federal Association of German Wind Farm Operators Offshore (BWO) has referred to the latest industry results presented in a WindEurope report. – It is no longer news that surprises anyone. And yet it is always shocking to read in black and white where we are and where we want to go – where we [...]
German electricity system operator 50Hertz is currently focusing, among other things, on grid connections for large offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea and North Sea. 50Hertz wants to increase its connection capacity from current, around 1 GW, to more than 7 GW in 2030. […]
The procedure for participation in the Hansa PowerBridge submarine cable project was initiated for the continental shelf bilge in Germany’s exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea. […]
The first three XXL monopiles for the Arcadis Ost 1 Offshore Wind Project have been completed and have set sail for the Port of Roenne, the Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm marshalling harbor. This is the first set of 28 monopile units (27 WTG, 1 OSS) that will be transported to Roenne over the next [...]
TÜV SÜD and Tractebel DOC have signed an agreement announcing their intention to collaborate in the field of offshore wind energy towards a carbon-neutral future. The partnership will focus on joint project implementation and the development of new markets and services. With around 25,000 staff in over 50 countries, TÜV SÜD is among the world’s [...]
January 26 this year, The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) has unveiled the first draft of a new Site Development Plan (FEP). The document regulates offshore wind energy development in Germany. Environmental organization NABU is concerned about increased conservation conflict and is calling for adjustments to protect endangered seabirds [...]
In January 2022, the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) presented first concrete plans at a meeting with representatives of the offshore wind industry. Managing Director of the industry organization BWO, Stefan Thimm, comments that this is a positive development, that the industry did not dare to [...]
Electricity grid operators play a key role in offshore wind development. The future of wind turbines in European seas depends on the work and development of the grid. German operator 50Hertz knows this very well. Marco Nix, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of 50Hertz, responsible for the offshore business, answers BalticWind.EU [...]
EDS HV Group, part of James Fisher Renewables (JF Renewables) has won a multimillion-pound contract to provide the high voltage safety management commissioning phase at Iberdrola’s Baltic Eagle Offshore Wind Farm, off the coast of the German region of Pomerania. […]
The German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) started the procedure for updating the marine spatial plan for offshore wind energy development (FEP) in December 2021. Comments can be submitted until January 18, 2022. The German government’s goal of expanding 70 GW by 2045 requires the development of additional areas [...]
RWE and Northland Power strengthen their position in the German offshore market The companies have joined forces to co-develop a 1.3 gigawatts (GW) cluster of offshore wind farms in the German North Sea. The partners have established a joint venture structure through which they plan to jointly develop and construct [...]
The new German Government is up and running. The coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals brands itself a “climate Government”. They’ve agreed that Germany should exit coal-fired power earlier than planned – in 2030 if possible. And that much more renewable energy will be required to achieve that. So [...]
The Ostwind 2 project team closes the year with another important milestone: The second of a total of three sea cable systems was successfully laid in the seabed. This brings the connection of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm another step closer. The third and final cable is to be [...]
The German Association of Offshore Wind Farm Operators (BWO) and vgbe energy (formerly VGB PowerTech) have teamed up on fire protection standards for offshore wind installations. The interdisciplinary working group has begun activities – the common standard is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023. […]
As we read on the website of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt fur Naturschutz), guidelines have been published for a large-scale mapping procedure of geogenic reefs formed from natural rock deposits in the German part of the Baltic Sea. […]
As we read on the website of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt fur Naturschutz), studies are currently being conducted on the impact of offshore wind farms on bat populations in the North and Baltic Seas. The ongoing project is expected to last until 2023. […]
The three German parties – SPD, Greens and FDP – concluded a coalition agreement in Berlin in November. SPD politician Olaf Scholz will become the new chancellor, replacing Angela Merkel. The landmark agreement also touches on the development of offshore wind energy. […]
The Norwegian developer of the offshore wind sector has announced that Holger Matthiesen, who until now has been acting as Head of Offshore Wind Development Scandinavia, Poland & Baltics in RWE Renewables, has joined the Norwegian tycoon developing offshore wind farms in floating technology, […]
Three German companies – OWS Off-Shore Wind Solutions (OWS), Dipl.-Ing. H. Sitte & Co. Schiffsinstallationen KG, Dipl.-Ing. H. Sitte & Co. KG, Dipl.-Ing. H. Sitte & Service KG (Sitte) oraz Wind Multiplikator (WM) – announced a global partnership in the offshore and onshore wind sector. […]
OCEaN to welcome a new Member: The German Network for Wind Energy – WAB e.V. […]
Tekmar Energy Limited, a Tekmar Group Company, is pleased to announce a contract award by Global Offshore to supply Cable Protection Systems (CPS) for the Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm in Germany. […]
Yesterday the entire wind industry came to Copenhagen to discuss the transformation of energy systems, in particular wind energy. BalticWind.EU is one of the media partners of the event. Our representatives are meeting and talking to industry representatives about the challenges facing wind energy, particularly in the Baltic Sea region. Recycling of blades and other [...]
Neighbouring transmission system operators 50Hertz (Germany) and Energinet (Denmark) seek to work together on the realisation of the ‘Bornholm Energy Island’ offshore hub by 2030. In the scope of the conference WindEurope Electric City 2021 in Copenhagen, CEOs Thomas Egebo of Energinet and Stefan Kapferer of 50Hertz today signed a corresponding cooperation agreement on the [...]
50Hertz’s Ostwind 2 project reaches the next milestone. Around 170 kilometres of cable have been laid at sea and on land over the past months to connect two offshore wind farms to the German extra-high voltage grid. Now the last section of the submarine cable is being laid on schedule to complete the second of [...]
The Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) is a coalition of wind farm operators, transmission systems and environmental organizations that provides an open forum for discussion. The German working group presented six recommendations for the nature-friendly development of offshore wind energy. […]
Iberdrola remains committed to the deployment of renewables in international markets. Its third offshore wind project in the Baltic Sea, Windanker, will have 300 MW installed capacity and €800 million total investment. The project will reinforce the company’s Baltic Hub in Germany which also includes the operational Wikinger offshore wind farm (350 MW), and Baltic [...]
RWE Renewables and the University of Gdansk has joined forces to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy, based on education and research. […]
One of the wind leaders, Spain’s Iberdrola, has summarised its financial results for the first nine months of 2021. Iberdrola has decided to exercise its right of first refusal on one of its wind projects. The 300 MW Windanker offshore wind farm project will be built in the Baltic Sea within the Baltic Hub. [...]
Dillinger, a German manufacturer of high-quality heavy plate, has announced that they will invest €56.5 million to expand production of super-heavy plate at Dillinger and to manufacture offshore foundations at Steelwind Nordenham. […]
TÜV Rheinland already agreed on a long-term cooperation with Siemens Gamesa at the beginning of the year for tests on offshore wind turbines in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. With this contract, TÜV Rheinland is intensifying its cooperation with Siemens Gamesa, which has been in place since 2017. […]
“This is very good news,” comments Stefan Thimm on the EEG surcharge published today for 2022. This will drop to 2022 cents per kilowatt hour (ct / kWh) in 3,723. The federal government had already announced in advance that it would limit the surcharge to 2022 ct./kWh in 6 through [...]
German electricity system operator 50Hertz announced that it has received the final, long-awaited approval for its Ostwind 2 infrastructure project in mid-September 2021. The operator received the decision for a 700-meter cable section connecting the Arcadis Ost 1 transformer platform. Ostwind 2 is a project by German operator 50Hertz designed to connect the Arcadis Ost [...]
The German OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE foundation has prepared an analysis of the demand and potential for the production of green hydrogen in combination with offshore wind energy in Germany. Calculations show that based on the new maritime spatial development plan, more than 60 GW of offshore capacity can be installed if all [...]
In 2020, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) recorded the lowest levels of underwater noise in the German part of the Baltic Sea since measurements began in 2013. […]
The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Construction and Interior (BMI) announced that on September 1, 2021, the site development plan for the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea has entered into force. It defines an area for offshore farms with a total capacity of [...]
Green hydrogen will play a key role in the future energy supply system. Areas that are difficult to electrify can only be decarbonised with hydrogen. This results in high demand for green hydrogen. “We therefore appeal to the future federal government to create the conditions for ambitious hydrogen production using [...]
To accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and improve wind energy’s competitiveness, Vestas continues to develop and optimise the products and solutions which offer to customers as well as expand partnerships with specialised partners in our supply chain. The ongoing integration of Vestas onshore and offshore business is a key [...]
Anders Sandin asked the editorial board of Gefle Dagblad questions about offshore wind energy in Sweden. “I think no one is against offshore wind energy, but many are against destroying the environment to save it,” he says. Svea Wind Offshore relates in response to the implementation of the Utposten 2 [...]
The German regulator Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) has announced the results of the first offshore wind auction using the “central model”. New wind farms in the Baltic and North Seas will be built by EDF and RWE. […]
This Wednesday 15th of September, Ems Maritime Offshore (EMO), Vestas and Parkwind signed the lease agreements for the O&M building that will serve the forthcoming Arcadis Ost I wind farm in the Port of Mukran. The signing ceremony, in the presence of the Minister of Energy, Infrastructure and Digitalization of [...]
The general election is just around the corner. A lot has happened in the offshore wind energy sector in the past year: New expansion targets, a new spatial planning and, for the first time, areas for the production of hydrogen at sea. At the same time, however, not a single [...]
As announced by the German Federal Network Agency today, the RWE – Essen-based energy company – was awarded two offshore wind sites. In the North Sea, RWE was able to secure a lease (N-3.7) for an offshore wind farm with a potential capacity of 225 megawatts (MW). A second site [...]
Offshore wind consultancy OWC has been awarded a contract by Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie/BSH) to analyse and assess wind conditions for two future German offshore wind tendering sites. OWC, an AqualisBraemar LOC Group (ABL Group) company, has assembled a team of internal experts and external cooperation partners, including Fraunhofer IWES and ProPlanEn, [...]