Meerwind Süd/Ost

Location

The Meerwind Süd/Ost wind farm is located in the German North Sea, approximately 23 kilometers north-west of the island of Helgoland. The water depth in this area ranges from 22 to 26 meters.

Capacity and Turbines

The wind farm consists of 80 Siemens SWT-3.6-120 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 3.6 megawatts (MW). The turbines have a rotor diameter of 120 meters and a total height of 149 meters.

Total Capacity

The total installed capacity of the Meerwind Süd/Ost wind farm is 288 MW, which is sufficient to power approximately 360,000 households.

Environmental Impact

The wind farm is expected to help Germany reduce its carbon emissions by around one million tons per year.

Construction and Timeline

Construction on the Meerwind Süd/Ost wind farm began in 2012 and was completed within 18 months, finishing in April 2014. The project was notable for being the first German offshore wind project to be fully financed by private investors and the largest to achieve full financial closing under Germany's KfW financing programme.

Financial Investment

The total investment in the construction of the Meerwind Süd/Ost wind farm was approximately 1.2 billion euros.

Technical and Engineering Achievements

• Foundation and Installation: The project involved the installation of monopiles and transition pieces, which were unprecedented in scale at the time. DNV played a crucial role in ensuring the structural integrity and efficiency of these installations, even under challenging weather conditions such as low temperatures, high wave heights, and strong winds.
• Converter Platform: The wind farm features a 3,500-tonne offshore converter substation (Topside) that synchronizes the electrical current flows from the 80 turbines. This was a complex task due to the lack of comparable projects worldwide, and DNV's expertise from various fields contributed significantly to its success.

Certification and Quality Assurance

DNV (Det Norske Veritas) was involved in the project certification, ensuring high quality standards and cost efficiency. DNV's experts worked closely with WindMW to optimize the design and installation processes, addressing unique challenges such as the synchronization of electrical current flows and the installation of large monopiles and transition pieces.

Operational Impact

The Meerwind Süd/Ost wind farm is a significant contributor to Germany's renewable energy targets and sets a precedent for future offshore wind projects in terms of technical innovation, financial structuring, and environmental benefits.