Earlier this month, Heerema Marine Contractors’ semi-submersible crane vessel Thialf installed the 4,200 – metric tonne topside of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm, for Iberdrola Renewables.

The Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm is currently being built in German waters of the Baltic Sea, 30 kilometres to the northeast of Rügen island off the coast of Pomerania. When complete, the offshore wind farm will produce 476 MW of renewable energy, for an annual production of 1.9 TWh, which is enough to supply about half a million households. The wind farm’s 50 9.53-MW wind turbines on monopiles will be supplied by Vestas, and installed by 2024.

The substation will collect the energy generated by the wind turbines and transform the supply voltage from 66 kV to 220 kV before feeding it into the onshore power grid. The installation, consisting of foundations, a platform with transformers and electrical equipment, has a combined weight of 7,150 tonnes. The manufacturing of the structural components was carried out by Iemants-Fabricom. Its designated site is in the waters situated northeast of Rügen Island, covering a vast area of 40 square kilometres with a depth range of 40 to 45 metres. The port of Sassnitz-Mukran in Rügen will serve as the operational hub for the wind farm.

The wind farm will be connected to the Lubmin onshore wind farm via two high voltage subsea cables, each measuring 90 km, which will be installed by the Berlin-based transmission system operator 50Hertz. It will also be run by 50Hertz. The next stage for Iberdrola Renewables is making the OSS ready for energization.