The 497 megawatt EnBW Hohe See offshore wind farm off the coast of Germany is set to proceed following Canadian energy infrastructure company Enbridge’s decision to invest in the project, and German engineering company Siemens committing for the first time to provide complete construction work.
German public utility company EnBW made a final construction and investment decision back at the end of 2016, and appointed Siemens to provide not just the wind turbines, but full construction work, including providing the foundations. This week, the project received its last green light, with Canadian energy infrastructure company Enbridge acquiring 49.9% of the shares in the Hohe See project.
The EnBW Hohe See offshore wind project is set to be constructed in the “exclusive economic zone” in the North Sea, off the coast of Germany. It will cover an area of approximately 42 square kilometers, and upon completion will have a total capacity of 497 megawatts (MW) thanks to 71 Siemens 7 MW wind turbines. The project is estimated to be able to provide electricity for around 560,000 average households.
“With Enbridge at our side, we can realise our largest offshore wind farm to date and at the same time generate financial scope through this participation for the development of new projects,” said EnBW CEO Frank Mastiaux. “This is now the third successful participation model with which we are sharing the risk and represents another major step in the implementation of our EnBW 2020 strategy.”
“With an investment volume of around 1.8 billion euro, we have not only taken one of the largest investment decisions in the history of our company but despite the currently difficult economic conditions, we are continuing to rigorously invest in the implementation of our strategy and through EnBW Hohe See we are developing another cornerstone for safeguarding the future of EnBW. Following its commissioning in 2019, the wind farm will make a substantial contribution to our Group operating result.”
Siemens will begin manufacturing the 71 SWT-7.0-154 wind turbines from its new nacelle plant in Cuxhaven beginning in the middle 2018, with delivery expected for early 2019. Siemens will also provide the large monopile foundations, measuring up to 80 meters and with a weight of 1,500 tonnes.
“We are happy to apply our full scope of engineering services at EnBW Hohe See offshore wind project,” said Michael Hannibal, Offshore CEO at Siemens Wind Power. “The extended scope makes this 497-megawatt wind power plant one of the largest projects that we have ever executed. Our customer thereby benefits from the proven experience of a multinational company along the entire value chain of large offshore wind projects.”
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