Dong Energy Commits to German Offshore Windfarm

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Dong Energy A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) has announced that the company is going ahead with the construction of its first offshore windfarm in German waters.

The Borkum Riffgrund 1 windfarm in the German part of the North Sea will cost approximately 1.25 billion euros ($1.72 billion) and will have a generating capacity of up to 320 megawatts (MW), making it one of the largest German offshore projects to date. Construction is expected to begin in 2013, with the first power expected in 2014. When complete, the windfarm, which will be located 55 kilometres from the German coast, will be capable of generating enough electricity for 330,000 homes.

Borkum Riffgrund 1will give Dong a strong foothold in the growing German offshore energy sector. Last month, French energy supplier Areva SA (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France) received a 400 million-euro ($519 million) turbine order for the Borkum West II offshore windfarm, which is 45 kilometers off the northern coast of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea. The order is for 40 of Areva's M5000 turbines, rated at 5 MW each, with provision for 40 additional M5000 turbines to be supplied through 2011. For related article, see January 10, 2011, article - Germany's Largest Offshore Windfarm Progresses.

Dong Energy CEO Anders Eldrup said: "Borkum Riffgrund 1 will be Dong Energy's first offshore windfarm in Germany. I am confident that Dong Energy, as a market leader within offshore wind, will be able to play a vital role in the interesting and fast developing German market."

The Borkum Riffgrund 1 windfarm will use 89 turbines from Siemens Energy AG (Erlangen, Germany), each with a rated capacity of 3.6 MW and a rotor diameter of 120 meters. In addition, Siemens has signed a five-year service, maintenance and warranty agreement for the units.

René Umlauft, CEO of Siemens' Renewable Energy Division, said: "The first wind power project in German waters for Dong Energy, the world's leading operator of offshore windfarms, clearly shows that offshore wind power is now also gaining momentum in Germany. In fiscal 2010, onshore wind power business accounted for more than 60%."

Borkum Riffgrund 1 is Siemens' fifth order for the construction of an offshore windfarm in German waters, coming after EnBW Baltic 1 (48 MW), EnBW Baltic 2 (288 MW), Borkum Riffgat (108 MW) and Dan-Tysk (288 MW).

Germany's first offshore windfarm, Alpha Ventus, which has a generating capacity of 60 MW, was commissioned in April 2010, generating enough power for 50,000 homes. The facility is owned by a consortium of companies, including E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) (Dusseldorf, Germany); Vattenfall Europe, which is part of Swedish utility Vattenfall AB (Stockholm, Sweden); and EWE AG (Oldenburg), a German energy and gas provider. For related news, see April 29, 2010, article - Germany Commissions First Offshore Windfarm.

IIR's Renewable Energy Database provides extensive coverage on the wind energy, geothermal, hydroelectric, landfill gas-to-energy and utility-scale solar power plants throughout North America, and is now expanding coverage across the world.

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