Iberdrola has submitted an Environmental Statement to the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency as it seeks to achieve planning consent for the 400MW Wikinger offshore windfarm in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Germany.
An updated Environmental Statement has been submitted for fixed foundations rather than a floating turbine design, which had previously passed the first stage of planning approval in 2007 prior to Iberdrola’s involvement in the project.
The submission includes details about the proposed design of the windfarm, accompanied by an extensive environmental impact assessment, which has been compiled following a range of in-depth studies over the last 12 months.
The project is located approximately 35km from the north eastern coast of Germany, beside the border with Denmark (Bornholm island). The German Government recently stated that it has ambitions to generate up to 25 gigawatts of electricity from offshore windfarms over the next 20 years.
Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of ScottishPower Renewables and also head of Iberdrola’s Glasgow-based Global Offshore Division “This is an important step forward for the Wikinger project, and a significant development in Iberdrola’s global offshore wind power ambitions. At 400MW the proposed windfarm is a major project that would make a considerable contribution towards reducing carbon emissions in Germany.
“We are now developing offshore wind projects in the UK, Germany and France, with a pipeline of around 10,000 MW. Work will continue on the Wikinger project as we prepare to take it forward through the next stages of the planning process.
The second stage of the planning consent process will see a final design for the site submitted, likely to be in early 2013. Stage three will involve the submission of detailed construction plans and all the relevant safety documentation - likely to be early 2014.
If approved, construction of the windfarm could commence in early 2015, with first export of electricity in summer 2016, and full completion later that year.
Iberdrola is the largest wind energy company in the world and has over 13GW of renewable energy capacity around the world. The global headquarters for all of Iberdrola’s offshore wind projects is based in Glasgow, Scotland.
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Notes to Editors
Iberdrola purchased a consented Wikinger (formerly Offshore Wind Park Ventotec Ost II) project in 2010. Initial approval for this project utilising floating turbine bases was granted in 2007. Floating turbine technology is still in its infancy and therefore an application has been submitted for a more traditional method of turbine foundations.
Iberdrola is the largest wind power company in the world, Its global offshore wind power headquarters are based in Glasgow and it currently has a pipeline of around 10,000MW in offshore wind projects across Europe, primarily in the UK where it is currently developing the 1,800 MW Argyll Array project in Scotland. It has also been granted rights, together with Vattenfall, to develop up to 7,200 MW in the East Anglia Array, off the coast of Norfolk.
Iberdrola, which operates renewables projects in 23 countries, has an installed capacity of 13,000 MW as of August 2011, and a pipeline of over 60,000 MW.