RWE is moving forward with the development of its first offshore wind farm in Germany with the award of a EUR115 million contract for turbine foundations to Aker Verdal.
RWE Innogy and Aker Verdal have signed a contract for the supply of 48 steel jacket foundations for the Nordsee Ost wind farm, which is due to be completed in 2013. It has also awarded a EUR40 million subcontract to Erndtebrücker Eisenwerk GmbH of Germany for the supply of steel tubes for the foundations.
RWE, however, has expressed concerns about the readiness of the plant's grid connection.
“We have done our homework with the contract now signed for the supply of the foundations in order to be able to start the erection of Nordsee Ost next year. However, we are worried about the wind farm's pending grid connection,” said Prof. Dr. Fritz Varenholt, CEO of RWE Innogy. “It would be irresponsible if the wind farm were complete and the grid not available.”
Local grid operator Transpower Stromübertragungs GmbH, a subsidiary of Tennet B.V., is responsible for the timely connection of the wind farm to the public grid.
RWE Innogy recently awarded the turbine contract for Nordsee Ost to REpower, and last year awarded the contract for the construction of offshore installation ships to a Korean shipyard.
The foundations manufactured by Aker Verdal are to be placed at water depths of 22-25 m. The jacket foundations are similar in design to power pylons and will be anchored firmly with piles to the sea bed.
Each foundation has a total height of approximately 50 m and a total weight of around 550 tons. The base of the foundation has a footprint of almost 400 square meters. _
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