British infrastructure projects developer and operator John Laing Group has acquired a 30% stake in the 110.7MW Nordergrunde offshore wind farm located in the German North Sea.
It is the second wind investment made by John Laing in Germany and is the company's first ever in an offshore wind project.
The offshore wind farm project will have Senvion’s 18 wind turbines of 6.15MW capacity each. The total height of each turbine will be 147m with hub height of 84m and rotor diameter of 126m.
The towers are supported by grounded monopile structures, with depths ranging between 3m and 11m.
Situated 15km off coast to the north of city of Wilhelmshaven, the wind farm is spread in an area of 3km2. The project is expected to power more than 78,000 homes and can eliminate about 158,000 tonnes of CO2 and 3,600 tonnes of SO2 from entering the atmosphere.
The project is being developed and operated by WPD Offshore. Gothaer Leben Renewables also owns a stake in the project.
Financial closure of the project was achieved in June 2015 and it was financed by the European Investment Bank, KfW IPEX Bank and other commercial lenders.
At present, all the foundation piles have been installed and turbines are being erected. Onshore cable and substation works along with grid connections have been completed and offshore cabling work is underway. Nordergrunde project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2017.
John Laing managing director of renewable energy Ross McArthur said: “The Nordergründe off shore wind project in Germany is an important step for John Laing into a new market where we see a significant opportunity, and in a country we want to continue to invest into.
“We are pleased to be working with a partner of the quality of wpd given their track record of successful development of offshore wind projects and their skilled and experienced team.”