Iberdrola has installed the first turbine at the 350MW Wikinger offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea, marking a new milestone in the development of the project.
Located approximately 34km north-east of the island of Ruegen, the €1.4bn project features 70 wind turbines, each with 5MW of capacity.
The AD-5000-135 turbines, which will be supplied by Adwen, are being installed by Fred Olsen’s jack-up vessel Brave Tern.
The components of the turbines include a 222-ton nacelle, a rotor with a 135m diameter and blades with a 77.5m length, as well as a 75m high tower.
Iberdrola Germany head Jürgen Blume said: “We are delighted to reach yet another key stage of Wikinger’s construction program which is testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire project team.
“Our Wikinger project is progressing well, and we are on target with our plans for full export at the site later this year.”
Additionally, the wind farm is expected to avoid about 500,000t of CO2 and more than 11,000t of SO2 emissions.
The project is will generate electricity required to power more than 350,000 German households, representing about 20% of energy demand of the state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.
Wikinger is the second offshore wind farm to be constructed by Iberdrola, after commissioning the West of Duddon Sands wind farm in the Irish Sea in 2014.
Image: The Wikinger offshore wind farm in German Baltic Sea. Photo: courtesy of Iberdrola, S.A.