Spanish renewables giant Iberdrola has awarded Dutch offshore installation company Van Oord a contract for the offshore installation works at the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm in Germany.
Van Oord will transport and install the foundations at the Baltic Sea project and ensure the supply, transport, and installation of inter-array cables.
With a production capacity of 476 MW, the Baltic Eagle wind farm will provide enough electricity for 475,000 households. It is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2024.
Van Oord plans to deploy its 8,000-tonne heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen to install the 50 foundations. The foundations will be built by EEW SPC and Windar.
Baltic Eagle is Vestas’ fourth offshore project in Germany, adding to the Borkum Riffgrund 2 and Deutsche Bucht projects delivered by the joint venture MHI Vestas Offshore Wind Vestas said.
Apart from the delivery of the turbines for the project, Vestas will also service the turbines over a period of up to 10 years. The company did not share the financial details of the deal.
The wind farm will comprise 50 wind turbines to be installed on monopile foundations and will cover an area of 40 km2.
So far, Van Oord said, the Svanen has installed more than 700 foundations throughout Europe and the vast majority of monopiles in the Baltic Sea, including those for Baltic 2, Arkona, and Kriegers Flak.
The offshore works for the Baltic Eagle project will start in 2023. Van Oord’s cable-laying vessel Nexus and trencher Dig-It will be deployed to lay the inter-array cables. Van Oord will customize the Dig-It to ensure that it can handle the challenging soft soil conditions in the Baltic Sea, Van Oord said.
Iris Stempfle, Iberdrola Country Manager in German: "Iberdrola is one of the leading developers contributing to the energy transition by investing in offshore wind projects around the globe – in Germany, our Baltic Hub will have an installed capacity of 826 MW by the end of 2024. Tapping into the expertise of Van Oord yet again makes us confident that Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm will be delivered as planned."
The Baltic Eagle wind farm will feature 50 Vestas V174-9.5 MW turbines. Offshore installation firm Fred. Olsen Windcarrier will transport and install the wind turbines.