E.ON and Statoil held a topping out ceremony for the operations and maintenance centre for the 385MW Arkona offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea.
The €4m centre, which is at Mukran Port in Sassnitz on the island of Rügen, features a 3000m² area made up of offices, common spaces and a warehouse for spare/replacement parts.
Sassnitz’s harbor will be used for the operation and maintenance of the wind farm. Two transport ships can dock directly in front of the complex, which can be used for loading and unloading, and bringing the technicians to the wind farm.
Building work is planned to be completed in June, which is a precondition to start construction of the wind farm on the high seas.
The partnership is planning to lay down the initial foundation for the project in the middle of the year.
Around 400 employees from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will be engaged in building the wind farm, during the construction phase at sea.
Situated 35km northeast of the island of Rügen, the Arkona project will generate around 385MW of electricity, which can serve around 400,000 households.
Statoil purchased 50% stake in Arkona project from E.ON in April 2016, while construction on the project began in August same year.
Siemens had secured contract to supply, install and commission 60 6MW direct-drive wind turbines for the Arkona project.