April 9 (UPI) — The transformer station for a 60-turbine wind farm in the German waters of the Baltic Sea is in place, securing a 2019 start, a German utility company said.
German company E.ON said the transformer station for the Arkona wind farm has been installed on its foundation, one of the largest lift projects in the industry at more than 5,000 tons. The entire structure is about 90 feet tall.
“The next step in the construction phase will be the laying of the internal parking cabling,” the company stated. “Finally, in late summer, the erection of the wind turbines on the foundations already installed will start. The complete commissioning of the entire wind farm is planned for 2019.”
E.ON and Norwegian energy major Statoil are working together on the installations necessary to get the wind farm in German waters up and running. The transformer station started its journey from a French shipyard to the Arkona site in the Baltic Sea in early March.
The 60 so-called monopiles for the turbines were installed in September. Foundations for a common substation were installed the month prior and the entire project could start generating energy for consumers in about a year.
Germany has one of the greener economies in Europe and E.ON said it was retooling in the domestic landscape as the country emerges as a regional leader in renewable energy development.
Arkona has a design capacity of 385 megawatts, which could be enough power to meet the energy demands of 400,000 average households. Compared with conventional energy, Arkona could save up to 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, per year.
The joint effort from E.ON and Statoil represents a $1.4 billion investment.
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