The first turbines at Parkwind's Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm in Germany have started electricity production. According to Parkwind, Arcadis Ost 1 has been delivering power to the German grid since January 12, 2023.
The 257 MW offshore wind farm is located in the German section of the Baltic Sea, northeast of the island of Rügen. It is expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of up to 290,000 households.
It is the first wind farm equipped with Vestas V174-9.5 MW turbines and Parkwind’s first international project.
Heerema Marine Contractors in November 2022 installed the first of 27 turbines at the Arcadis Ost 1, using a floating installation method, for which the parties involved say is unique.
Namely, the turbine was installed using Heerema's Thialf semi-submersible crane vessel instead of the typical method using a jack-up vessel.
The plan to use a floating installation method for Parkwind's Arcadis Ost 1 was announced for the first time in November 2019.
After almost three years of development and engineering, the companies executed the floating installation of the first Arcadis Ost 1 turbine in November.
According to the parties involved, the floating installation method has two main advantages; the first is zero seabed interaction especially important in areas of significant water depth or challenging soil conditions; the second advantage is a shorter installation cycle.