All Wikinger Turbines Up

On 22 October, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier’s jack-up Brave Tern completed the turbine installation at the site of the Wikinger offshore wind farm, developed by Iberdrola. The wind farm comprises 70 Adwen 5MW wind turbines supported by jacket foundations.

Adwen is now progressing with the start-up of the turbines, which will be operating in ‘island mode’, waiting for the energisation of the grid connection. 50Hertz, the transmission system operator responsible for connecting offshore wind farms in the German Baltic Sea to the mainland, is currently performing the final cable laying works and the technical tests in order to be able to transport the electricity from Wikinger to the consumer centres.

Fred. Olsen-related company Global Wind Service supplied 40 installation technicians for the project, with over 100 more for quality control, completion and service, Iberdrola said.

The company, turbine manufacturer Adwen and key subcontractor Fred. Olsen Windcarrier have met all the strict deadlines set for the construction of Wikinger, overcoming the technological challenges associated to an engineering work of this magnitude and the difficulties derived from extreme weather conditions during the winter months. The strict implementation of health and safety guidelines by all companies involved in the construction of Wikinger has enabled works to be delivered with a zero-accident operation rate.” – Iberdrola

Iberdrola is now moving its Wikinger base to the operation and maintenance (O&M) building in the port of Sassnitz.

The 350MW Wikinger will generate clean energy equivalent to avoiding the emission of 600,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year. The EUR 1.4 billion wind farm, located off the north-eastern coast of the island of Rügen, will supply some 350,000 German households, representing more than 20% of the energy demand in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the region where the wind farm is located.