BALTIC EAGLE OFFSHORE WIND FARM: Baltic Sea Megaproject Propels the Clean Energy Transition

The Baltic Sea is renowned for the incredible potential it holds for offshore wind in Europe, and by 2050 it is forecast to host as much as 93 GW, up from the 2.2 GW we see today. In addition to providing clean and cheap electricity to countries around the Baltic Sea, offshore wind will help to support the economic recovery of wider Central and Eastern Europe to ensure long-term growth and security, with job creation spanning careers in turbine manufacturing, electricity generation and many other industries.

The Baltic Sea basin’s surrounding countries would all benefit from developing offshore wind, and in September 2020 eight Baltic countries including Poland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden signed a joint declaration to accelerate the build-out of new offshore wind in the region. The tantalising new opportunities for offshore wind developments are backed by the draw of competitive and clean energy, and increased local and international economic growth.

Offshore wind energy in turn boosts imports and exports, attracts international investments and enhances energy independence and security.  With all this in mind, the offshore wind industry in the Baltic Sea is one of the most vitally important assets underpinning Europe’s transition to a renewable energy sector, and Germany thus becomes a key focus area for Iberdrola group over the coming years alongside its existing core markets of United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and Spain

BUILDING ON GERMAN OFFSHORE SUCCESS

A world leader in renewable energy, Iberdrola is backed by more than 170 years of history shaping its status today as the global number one producer of wind power, and one of the world’s biggest electricity utilities in terms of market capitalisation. “We have brought the energy transition forward two decades to combat climate change and provide a clean, reliable and smart business model.”

Iberdrola’s investments in renewable energy began more than two decades ago, to provide the foundation on which to build a clean, reliable, smart business model.  “Thanks to this approach,” it confirms, “the company is currently a world leader in renewable energy and on the cutting edge of the energy transition towards a low-emissions economy.”

Renewable energy represents a massive, core element of Iberdrola’s landmark projects, all milestones for their size and innovation, with 17 of these plants currently in construction or development. It is wind generation with which Iberdrola has come to be synonymous, however, pioneering the onshore art 20 years ago and today replicating these triumphs in the offshore wind market. “Offshore wind power is key to Iberdrola’s future growth and has become a major business growth vector for the company.”

Located 30 kilometres to the northeast of Rügen island, off the coast of Germany’s Pomerania, lies Iberdrola’s new 476 MW installation and its second foray into the Baltic. Due for commissioning before the close of 2024, Baltic Eagle will be made up of 50 wind turbines of 9.53 MW of unit power on monopiles. The resultant annual renewable energy production of 1.9 TWh will be sufficient to meet the needs of 475,000 homes and avoid the emission of almost one million tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere every year. 

Xabier Viteri Solaun is Director of the Renewable Energy Business of the Iberdrola group, and underlined how Baltic Eagle, “confirms the company’s firm commitment to technological innovation, the development of large renewable projects, the reduction of emissions to combat climate change and the increased economic and social contribution in the territories where it is present.”

“This project will create high-quality jobs along the entire value chain of the offshore wind sector,” Iberdrola states, “which has significant potential for growth, while helping to re-industrialise and modernise shipyards all over the continent.”

Awarded the project in April 2018 in a second offshore tender launched by the Federal Networks Agency – Bundesnetzagentur – Iberdrola has finalised the geotechnical and geophysical survey which commenced in September 2018, paving the way for the construction and commissioning of this renewable plant and now thoughts can turn to acquiring and progressing its complex array of main components.

EXPANDING BALTIC HUB

To achieve this monumental next step in its quest for a cleaner energy future, a litany of industry leaders have been appointed to supply the pioneering equipment and installations required in an undertaking of this size and scope. Baltic Eagle’s foundations will come courtesy of a combination of EEW Special Pipe Constructions (SPC) and Windar, the former contributing 50 monopile foundations with diameters of between 8.75 metres and nine metres and the latter the accompanying transition pieces, forming the plant’s bedrock.

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, meanwhile, will be the official supplier of the MVOW V174 wind turbines, which incorporate the industry’s largest commercially proven rotor size and most powerful output. The energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions, Vestas has built up more than 136 GW of wind turbines in 84 countries and installed more wind power than anyone else across the globe.

A 174-m rotor blade diameter with a swept area of 23,778 m² and a hub elevation of 107 m above sea level mean that this is the largest project Vestas has installed to date offshore in Germany. “We are delighted to be establishing our partnership with Iberdrola at the Baltic Eagle project in Germany, delivering our proven V174 platform,” said Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe. “We are pleased to be advancing Germany’s clean energy and offshore wind ambitions at Baltic Eagle.”

“Wikinger represents a new step in our commitment to supplying clean, efficient and reliable electricity. We will continue to champion offshore wind technology since it enables us to drive the energy transition to a sustainable, low carbon economy,” Iberdrola Chairman, Ignacio Galán, outlined at its inauguration in 2018, and the addition of Baltic Eagle builds on the this in a massive way; it bolsters the existing power of Wikinger to offer a combined capacity of 826MW and comprise the heart of the Baltic Sea Hub.

This will act as a centre for offshore and onshore service, and provide local content for Iberdrola’s projects in the Germany and the Baltic coastal countries. The company also has another offshore installation currently in development in Germany – Wikinger Süd – set to provide a further 10MW, and this trio of wind farms will bring into being the largest offshore wind complex in the Baltic Sea, with a total installed capacity of 836 MW and a joint investment of €2.5 billion.

“Baltic Eagle continues to progress on track, and we look forward to delivering another major project in the Baltic Sea,” Iris Stempfle, Iberdrola’s country manager in Germany, concluded. “Adding to the existing Wikinger project it will enable us to benefit from efficiencies going forward, through technical advancements across the entire value chain and the use of the excellent infrastructure in Sassnitz.”