Germany Greenlights Kaskasi Offshore Wind Farm

German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) has granted planning permission for the 342 MW Kaskasi offshore wind farm (officially known as Kaskasi II).

Kaskasi II is the first offshore wind farm in Germany to receive planning permission under the new offshore wind law (WindSeeG), following participation in the auction held under the so-called interim system, according to the developer RWE.

The final investment decision (FID) on the 342 MW project was made in April, with main suppliers already selected and some of them already starting fabrication work.

The wind farm will comprise 38 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, each with an installed capacity of up to 9 MW, installed on monopile foundations.

Offshore construction is set to start in the third quarter of 2021 with the installation of the foundation, on which RWE will use the vibro pile-driving installation method to reduce installation time and noise emissions during construction.

On three out of the 38 foundations, RWE will install the so-called “collars” to improve the structural integrity of the entire foundation.

Kaskasi II is scheduled to go online in the summer of 2022 and to be fully commissioned by the end of 2022. Once up and running, the offshore wind farm will be able to supply the equivalent of around 400,000 households per year with green electricity.