The DanTysk offshore wind farm project has reached the halfway stage: 40 out of the total of 80 wind turbines that Vattenfall and Stadtwerke München (SWM) are erecting 70 km west of the island of Sylt are now in place.
Eighty Siemens wind turbines in the 3.6-megawatt (MW) class are being installed, with a maximum rotor tip height above sea level of just under 150 metres. Vattenfall began erecting the first wind turbine in mid-April this year, with installation of all 80 turbines expected to take five months up to autumn 2014, depending on weather conditions in the North Sea. The project currently requires around 19 hours to install each wind turbine, so progress is well on track. Cabling work to connect the wind turbines to the offshore substation is likewise now in full swing.
Gunnar Groebler, Head of the Renewables Business Unit for Vattenfall ‘ s Continental/UK region said: “If we take account of all the projects that we are currently building in the Continental/UK region, the increase in wind capacity comes to a total of 600 megawatts. For the Continental/UK region, this means growth of 50%. We are thus consolidating our position as a market leader in wind power. For this reason, we welcome the efforts by policymakers to create dependable framework conditions by reaching a swift agreement on the new German Renewable Energy Act (EEG). This is the only way that we can continue to pursue our ambitious plans for growth,” Groebler continued.
Christian Vogt, Head of Corporate Investment Management at Stadtwerke München , said: “SWM has a very ambitious target for the expansion of renewables: by 2025, we aim to generate enough green energy through our own generation plants to supply all of Munich. In order to achieve this, we need strong projects and reliable partners. The progress made on the DanTysk project confirms us in our belief that, with Vattenfall, we are moving in the right direction. Offshore wind power is a major pillar in our renewable energy strategy. Provided there is a stable legal framework, we can see ourselves completing further projects in Germany.”
The DanTysk offshore wind farm covers an area of 70 square kilometres (approximately 7,000 football pitches) in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on the border to Danish territorial waters. The wind farm will have an installed capacity of 288 megawatts (MW) and will generate climate-neutral power equivalent to the consumption of up to 400,000 households. The foundations for all 80 DanTysk wind turbines and the offshore substation have already been built. DanTysk is a joint venture of Vattenfall (51%) and Stadtwerke München (49%). The subsequent commissioning of the wind farm is planned for autumn 2014.