Germany opens massive offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea

Illustration: Wind park

Germany’s Prime Minister Angela Merkel has opened the large offshore wind farm Arkona in the Baltic Sea. She thanks Norway for their contribution to the project.

The wind farm in the German part of the Baltic Sea is run by Equinor and the German power company E.ON. According to E24, the project has been around NOK 1 billion cheaper than expected.

In his opening speech, Merkel pointed out that the project is important for Germany’s transition to renewable energy sources.

“The project shows the German contribution, but also the contribution of highly developed industrial nations to the development of renewable energy,” Merkel said and thanked both France and Norway for their contributions.

The park can deliver power to 400,000 German households. It consists of 60 wind turbines with a capacity of around six megawatts each.

The turbines are deployed in the Baltic Sea, between the German island of Ruegen and the Swedish coast in the north. The turbines are installed on sea bed-mounted foundations at a depth of 23-37 meters.

The French energy supplier Engie has signed a contract for the purchase of electricity from the wind farm for four years. This will be routed through a French-built substation, where 150 kilometers of cables are connected to the wind generators.

Today, renewable energy accounts for 38 percent of Germany’s energy consumption, and is expected to reach 65 percent by 2030.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today