Global Tech I

Global Tech I Offshore Wind Farm Profile

General Information

• Name: Global Tech I
• Location: German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the North Sea, approximately 140-165 km northwest of Bremerhaven and Emden.
• Commissioning: Officially operational as of September 2015, with the first power feed into the grid starting on July 27, 2015.

Ownership and Developers

• Owners: The wind farm is jointly owned by several companies, including HEAG Südhessische Energie (24.9%), Norderland Projekt (10.05%), Stadtwerke München (24.9%), Esportes Offshore Beteiligungs (10%), EGL Renewable Luxembourg Axpo (24.1%), and Windreich (16.05%).

Technical Specifications

• Capacity: 400 megawatts (MW), making it one of the largest German offshore wind farms.
• Turbines: 80 AREVA M5000 wind turbines, each rated at 5 MW. The turbines have a rotor diameter of 116 meters, a hub height of 90 meters, and a total height of 148 meters.
• Site Characteristics: The wind farm is built across a 41 km² offshore site in water depths ranging from 38 to 41 meters.

Construction and Installation

• Construction Period: Started in August 2012 and completed in August 2014. The installation of the first medium voltage cables began in February 2013, and the installation of the first AREVA M5000 wind turbines started in September 2013.
• Vessels and Equipment: The jack-up vessel "INNOVATION" with an 8,000-ton lifting capacity was used to load, transport, and install the wind turbines and tripod foundations. Underwater robots were used to check the positioning of the internal cables.

Grid Connection

• Grid Network: The output is transmitted to the onshore national power supply grid through high-voltage subsea cables. The BorWin Beta substation is located offshore, while the Diele substation is onshore. The turbines are connected by 33kV inter-array cables, and the power is transformed to 155kV at the Global Tech I substation platform inside the wind farm.

Environmental Impact and Benefits

• Energy Production: The wind farm generates approximately 1.4 billion kWh of electrical energy annually, enough to supply around 445,000 households or about one million people with clean energy.
• Carbon Savings: It helps reduce CO2 emissions by about 1.2 million tonnes per year compared to traditional coal-fired power stations.

Financing

• Total Investment: The project involved a total investment of approximately €1.6 billion ($2 billion).
• Debt and Equity: The project secured a debt package of $1.476 billion, with contributions from a consortium of 16 commercial banks, including the European Investment Bank (EIB) and KfW. The shareholders raised approximately $1 billion in equity.
• Financial Structure: The debt is structured into several tranches with a tenor of 12 years and six months, due to mature in 2024. Key financial institutions involved include Societe Generale, KfW Ipex, NordLB, and Dexia.

Contractors and Advisers

• Key Contractors: AREVA (turbine supply and maintenance), ABB (medium-voltage frequency converters), HOCHTIEF (construction of foundations and installation of turbines), Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke and Global Marine Systems (cable production and infield cabling), Prysmian and Siemens (offshore cable connections).
• Financial Advisers: KfW, Société Générale, NordLB, Dexia Group, and others. Legal and technical advisers include Linklaters, Watson Farley & Williams, SgurrEnergy, and CMS.

Operational Management

• Operator: Global Tech I Offshore Wind GmbH.
• Logistics: The logistics base is located in Emden, which is the most distant logistics base for any German offshore wind farm.

The Global Tech I wind farm is a significant milestone in Germany's renewable energy sector, showcasing advanced technical and logistical achievements in offshore wind energy production.