Iberdrola Has Started Work on The Baltic Eagle Offshore Wind Farm in Germany

Berlin, Germany - Iberdrola has begun the geotechnical phase for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm, which will have a capacity of 476 megawatts (MW), representing the start of a strategic project for the company.

Baltic Eagle is the second major offshore initiative that Iberdrola is undertaking in Germany, following the successful launch, at the end of 2017, of the 350 MW Wikinger wind farm. In addition, another 10 MW offshore facility in Germany, called Wikinger Süd, is under development. As Iberdrola points out, these three wind farms, located next to the island of Rügen, will give rise to the largest offshore wind complex in the Baltic Sea, with a total installed capacity of 836 MW and a joint investment of 2.5 billion euros. Germany has thus become a key area for Iberdrola in the coming years.

The director of the Renewables Business, Xabier Viteri, stressed that Baltic Eagle "confirms the company's firm commitment to technological innovation, the development of large renewable projects, the reduction of emissions to combat climate change and the increased economic and social contribution in the territories where it is present".

According to Iberdrola, Iberdrola Fugro, a global specialist in offshore prospecting, will carry out an exhaustive geotechnical and geophysical investigation of the Baltic Eagle seabed in order to obtain the most complete information possible on the conditions in the area in which it will be located. The studies contracted by Iberdrola, valued at more than 10 million euros, will be key to meeting the construction and commissioning deadlines for this renewable facility.

The investigation that has just begun includes, first of all, a study of the location and removal of possible unexploded ordnance. The programme for drilling boreholes and geotechnical investigations of the seabed will then begin, using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques. According to Iberdrola in addition, a number of laboratory tests will be carried out in accordance with the requirements established by the German planning authority, Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH). The data obtained by Fugro will determine the design of the foundations on which both the wind turbines and the substation will be built, which will be installed in waters up to 45 metres deep. The offshore work is expected to be completed by March 2019 and the last technical report to be submitted by the end of June 2019.

Source: IWR Online, 02 Oct 2018