Iberdrola successfully installs the first foundation for the "Baltic Eagle" offshore wind farm
Iberdrola has successfully placed the first foundation of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm on the seabed over the past weekend. Following the impressive installation of the offshore substation platform (OSS) in February 2023, the company is now entering the central phase of Baltic Eagle's construction.
Currently, the heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen is working off the island of Rügen on the offshore wind farm, located 30 kilometres northeast of the German island of Rügen and covering an area of 40 square kilometres. Based on a special feeding concept, the monopiles of the Rostock-based company EEW SPC are towed from the port of Rostock to the construction site and placed in an upright position by the grapple. The steel piles, with a diameter of 8.75 to 9 metres and a length of 75 to 90 metres, are then driven into the seabed.
Transport of the transition pieces to the storage site in the port of Mukran also began in early March. These transition pieces connect the monopile to the wind turbine. The transition pieces follow the installation of the monopiles and will be deployed in the second quarter of 2023. The laying of the inter-tower cables is planned for later in 2023.
"We are delighted to work with many experienced and professional partners on such a complex offshore project, such as EEW SPC, Windar and VanOord in this regard," emphasised Iris Stempfle, Managing Director of Iberdrola Renewables Germany. "We are fully on schedule with the construction of Baltic Eagle and remain a reliable partner for the decarbonisation of German industry with the expansion of the Baltic Hub to approximately 826 MW by the end of next year."
With a production capacity of 476 MW, Iberdrola's Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm will supply renewable energy to around 475,000 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 800,000 tonnes per year. The farm is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2024. Baltic Eagle is the second of Iberdrola's three major projects in Germany, along with Wikinger (350 MW, in Pressemitteilung operation) and Windanker (300 MW, in planning). Together, these offshore wind farms form Iberdrola's so-called Baltic Hub, which will have a total capacity of more than 1.1 GW by 2026 and will involve an investment of around EUR 3.7 billion.
The Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm is an important element of Iberdrola's integrated growth strategy in its core market of Germany. In the field of sustainable energy solutions, the company intends to cooperate with key players in German industry to help them achieve their climate targets with market-based solutions. A central element here is the integration of PPAs into a modern electricity supply portfolio and the development of projects in the field of hydrogen production and trading.
In Germany, Iberdrola bundles all its business activities in the subsidiary Iberdrola Deutschland. The Berlin-based company is the largest operator of offshore wind farms in the German Baltic Sea. With its Offshore and Onshore divisions, Iberdrola Deutschland plans, builds and operates offshore and onshore wind farms as well as photovoltaic projects. The company offers its industrial and commercial customers tailor-made solutions for the supply of green energy, from classic electricity supply including portfolio management services, to long-term PPA contracts linked to Iberdrola's own renewable energy plants, to photovoltaic solutions for on-site self-consumption. Iberdrola Germany also offers integrated cross-technology solutions, such as battery storage or the use of green hydrogen for industrial use.
