It will have 400 MW of installed capacity and wind turbines of around 5 MW each. IBERDROLA is developing offshore projects in Europe with a combined capacity of around 10,000 MW.

The company has begun applying for the permits from Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. This phase includes a detailed presentation of the planned design and a comprehensive environmental impact report, based on numerous studies carried out over the last 12 months.

In March 2010, IBERDROLA acquired 100% of the construction rights to this offshore complex from the joint venture between DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH (Deutsche Bank Group) and Ventotec GmbH (GHF-Group). At the time, the plant had already obtained permits from the German government to install floating wind turbines.

After an in depth analysis of the project and the site, the company decided it was better to use large turbines on fixed structures directly anchored on the sea floor. This solution better matches the specific conditions of the Baltic Sea and the planned technological development at the time of the farm’s construction better.

Once IBERDROLA obtains administration authorisation, it intends to present the final plans for the offshore project in early 2014, with the aim of commencing construction in 2015 and delivering power to the grid in 2016.

Keith Anderson, head of IBERDROLA’s Offshore Division said, “We are excited about submitting this project for approval by the German government. With 400 MW, the proposed wind farm is large and will considerably help cut carbon emissions in Germany.

“Wikinger is an international project, with our teams from Glasgow, Germany and Spain all working hard to bring the facility into operation. This is a big step, but we still have to keep working to obtain all the required permits”.

Wikinger is located in the northern part of an area known as Westlich Adlergrund, which the Germany authorities have designated as a Priority Offshore Development Area, around 40 km from the nearest coast at Rügen island. The average water depth is around 39m.

IBERDROLA’s Scotland based Office Business Unit will drive the gradual start-up of the other offshore wind farms in the project pipeline, which collectively total over 10,000 MW worldwide.

The main project is West of Duddon Sands in the UK, which will become the group’s first offshore wind farm, with 389 MW of installed capacity. The company has already completed the plan design, with construction set to begin next year. The facility will tentatively be commissioned in 2014.

In partnership with Vattenfall, IBERDROLA will also be starting up East Anglia Array, also in the UK. This is one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, with 7,200 MW of capacity. At the end of last year, UK system operator National Grid gave authorisation to connect this project to the land based grid. Another project is Argyll Array, an offshore facility with capacity ranging from 500 MW to 1,800 MW.

Meanwhile, the company signed an agreement recently with Areva to bid for the joint development of offshore wind projects along the French coast. Within the scope of this agreement, the companies will bid on two of the five zones to be offered by the French government soon, potentially entailing between 1,000 and 1,500 MW of offshore capacity.

source: maritime Journal