Iberdrola and 50Hertz sign construction agreement for Baltic Eagle offshore substation
Substation to be shared by two offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 826 MW.
This week, Iberdrola and transmission system operator 50Hertz said they have signed an agreement to cooperate on the construction, installation and commissioning of the offshore substation (OSS) for 476-MW Baltic Eagle wind farm being developed in German waters of the Baltic Sea.
The offshore substation will house the technical equipment to collect the electricity produced by the wind turbines and connect it to the onshore transmission grid in Lubmin. It will be shared between the Baltic Eagle and the 350-MW Wikinger offshore wind farm.
The substation consists of a foundation and a topside housing the transformers as well as electrical equipment. The four-legged steel jacket foundation weighs approximately 2,900 tonnes and will be fastened with two hammered piles at each leg. The topside consists of a closed multi-story module of 5 decks with a total estimated net weight of around 4,250 tonnes.
Fabrication is already progressing at different locations in Europe and platform manufacturing has already started at Belgian yards. Sail out to the site is planned for 2022, while completion of the offshore installation and commissioning is expected to take place in 2023.
When the Baltic Eagle wind farm is connected to the grid, the wind turbines will deliver electricity via the inter-array cables to the offshore substation where it will then be transformed from 66 kV to 220 kV and transmitted via two high voltage subsea cables across 90 km to the landing point at Lubmin.
The Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm is located northeast of the Rügen island off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea in a water depth of 40-45 meters. Iberdrola was awarded 476 MW of capacity during the transitional auction held in 2018. It is comprised of 50 wind turbines of 9.525-MW capacity to be installed on monopile foundations and will cover an area of 40 km2. Commissioning is expected in 2024.
The 826-MW combined capacity from Wikinger and Baltic Eagle offshore windfarms underlines that investments in renewable energy help to establish sustainable industry with significant growth potential, coupled with the creation of high-quality jobs for German and European companie, said Iberdrola.
Source: Renewable Energy