First offshore turbine installed in Germany

Germany now has its first offshore wind turbine. Nordex AG installed its N90/2500 offshore some 500 meters off the quay wall of the Rostock international port. The project was planned by WIND-projekt GmbH, Börgerende, with both companies working closely with regional partners, which have been committed for many years to developing the economic structures required for future offshore business in Rostock in conjunction with the municipal and state governments. “The Breitling project is a model for future wind farms planned for the Baltic Sea,” explains Carlo Schmidt, managing director of WIND-projekt.

In autumn 2005, the sheet-pile wall for the base was established at a water depth of around two meters. The support on which the turbine stands has a diameter of 18 meters. A total of 550 tons of sand, 500 tons of cement and 100 tons of steel were used for the base. With a height of 125 meters, the turbine was erected on two pontoons with an area of 1,750 and 900 square meters respectively.

This marked the second time that Nordex had installed an offshore turbine. Back in summer 2003, it had erected an N90 off the Danish port of Frederikshavn in the Kattegatt. “In this way, we were able to gain a lot of experience and thus enhance our turbine to such an extent that it achieved the greatest energy yields at the test farm in its second year of operation,” says Thomas Richterich, CEO of Nordex AG. The turbine which has now been installed off Rostock features numerous optimized solutions and, with its rotor diameter of 90 meters, achieves an output of 2,500 kilowatts. This means that the N90 exceeds the wing span of the new A380 superjet by some ten meters.

The next step will be for the Rostock syndicate to construct the “Baltic 1” offshore windfarm off the peninsular of Darss. Also being planned by WIND-project, it will have a capacity of approx. 54 megawatts and partially comprise Nordex turbines.

“This wind turbine will give the city of Rostock a new hallmark,” said state minister of economics Dr. Otto Ebnet. “I am pleased that this turbine is being planned, built, assembled and operated by local companies. The development of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea provides a decisive basis for growth in the offshore industry. The reference projects will play a key role in international business and keep local companies ahead in terms of expertise.”