Global Tech I Offshore Wind has commissioned the 400MW offshore wind power plant in the German North Sea.
Located in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and 180km away from the Bremerhaven Emden in the north-west, the power plant features 80 Areva’s 5MW M5000-116 turbines capable of supplying power to around 445,000 average households.
The €1.6bn ($2bn) project is expected to generate more than 1.4 billion kilowatt hours per year of clean power and scheduled to reach full production later this year.
Hamburg City first mayor Olaf Scholz said: "The project was planned, financed and realized by a team that spans state and national borders.
"From Bremen they service the turbines, which is also where they were manufactured, the grid connection makes its landfall in Lower Saxony and those responsible for operation and management of the wind farm are based here in Hamburg."
The project also comprises an offshore substation, which is operated together with the operations control centre in Hamburg’s HafenCity to ensure smooth operations.
Bremen City mayor Dr Carsten Sielingof said: "Global Tech I is an excellent example of why the epicentre of the offshore wind industry lies off the coast of northern Germany."
The project is owned by Stadtwerke München, Entega and Swiss company Axpo.
Other project investors include the Meltl family, Esportes Offshore Beteiligungs, Norderland Projekt, Windreich, FC Wind 1, FC Wind 2, GTU I and GTU II.
Global Tech I Offshore Wind technical managing director Detlef Schmeer said: "We want to guarantee a reliable supply of electricity for the needs of 445,000 households with our 80 turbines and substation in the midst of the wind farm, which is manned around the clock."
Stadtwerke München chair of executive board Dr. Florian Bieberbach said: "With Global Tech I we are inaugurating this year’s third offshore wind farm we are shareholders in."
Global Tech I Offshore Wind has built the project and will operate the offshore wind farm.
Image: Global Tech I wind farm offshore Germany officially launched. Photo: courtesy of Global Tech I.