Albatros Lands On Siemens Gamesa’s Desk

Following the 497-megawatt (MW) order for the EnBW Hohe See offshore wind farm, EnBW has also awarded Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy with the installation of the neighboring 112MW EnBW Albatros.

Source: Siemens Gamesa

The scope of the supply includes 16 direct-drive SWT-7.0-154 wind turbines on monopile foundations and the grid connection via a Siemens Offshore Transformer Module (OTM).

Siemens Gamesa will install both wind farms in parallel with the installation works scheduled to start in spring 2018.

The projects are located 90 kilometers north of Borkum Island in the German North Sea with water depths of up to 40 meters.

The combination of both projects offers synergies to EnBW in respect to planning, construction, and during operation, Siemens Gamesa said.

After commissioning in 2019, Siemens Gamesa will initially provide service and maintenance for the turbines over a period of five years.

EnBW Albatros is the first German offshore wind farm for which Siemens will supply a full-scope project. Furthermore, it also marks the entry of the Siemens OTM to the German market.

EnBW Albatros will be connected to the power grid via the Borwin Beta HVDC converter-platform which is located approximately 25 kilometers away and had been delivered by Siemens as well.

In the same way as for EnBW Hohe See, Siemens is also partnering with the Belgian offshore construction specialist GeoSea for Albatros regarding construction and installation of the monopiles. Inter-array cabling and coordination of the construction work remain in the scope of EnBW.

“EnBW Albatros allows us to demonstrate our broad competence in offshore projects, ranging from project specific engineering services and the beneficial combination of power generation and transmission technology to service and maintenance concepts,” said Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

“This project has a high relevance for us since we will turn the 112-megawatt wind power plant into a highly profitable investment for our customer via cutting edge technology and smart details.”