FinalRAVE for First German Offshore Wind Farm as Vattenfall Starts Preparing Decommissioning Tender

Vattenfall is preparing an invitation to tender for the decommissioning of Alpha Ventus, according to early information that emerged on a European tender website. Meanwhile, the participants of the RAVE (Research at Alpha VEntus) initiative have kicked off finalRAVE, a sub-project with a focus on the offshore wind farm’s final phase and dismantling.

According to information available in the early information notice from Vattenfall, one of the project co-owners, the decommissioning work is expected to start in early 2027, but the project owners are also considering start dates in 2028.

The contract awarded under this future call for tenders will cover all the required work for the decommissioning of the twelve wind turbines at the Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm site. This includes dismantling of the rotor-nacelle assemblies and towers, and offshore transport, providing all required vessels, equipment, tools and personnel.

Furthermore, the decommissioning contract will entail load-in and onshore handling, providing all required port/harbour facilities and support services, as well as onshore processing of wind turbine components and waste management, providing all temporary storage, transport and facilities until final disposal.

For the final disposal, the Alpha Ventus project owners are looking at re-use, recycling and recovery of energy from materials. The contractor will also provide the required marking for the foundations that will remain after the turbines are removed.

The research initiative RAVE, which is now in its final stage, has been established to carry out research and development work on Alpha Ventus, which is both Germany’s first offshore wind farm and an offshore test field. RAVE is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), which has provided more than EUR 120 million so far, and is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES).

Since the construction of the offshore wind farm in 2008, more than 60 partners from science and industry have been working on more than 35 projects, from environmental and further development of offshore wind farms and foundations, to optimisation of operations.

News about the 60 MW Alpha Ventus, which went into operation in 2010, being set to be dismantled appeared at the beginning of this year, after a German media outlet reported that the consortium behind the project, comprising EWE (47.5 per cent), RWE (26.25 per cent) and Vattenfall (26.25 per cent), was considering the next steps for the wind farm, with decommissioning being one of the options.

This made headlines as the project is 15 years old and past its subsidy period, which prompted EWE and RWE to point out that Alpha Ventus is primarily a test field for offshore wind and that, as such, the project had fulfilled its purpose.

The two project owners also highlighted, in statements to offshoreWIND.biz in March this year, that the wind farm’s decommissioning would also be part of its research purpose and contribute to the industry, which has so far not seen much decommissioning work.

Alpha Ventus is located 45 kilometres north of the island of Borkum in the North Sea and comprises six Adwen AD 5-116 and six Senvion 5M wind turbines.

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