Merkur

  • Type: Wind Farm
  • Latitude: 54.0430000
  • Longitude: 6.5540000

Merkur Offshore Wind Farm Profile

Location

The Merkur Offshore Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, approximately 45 kilometers north of the Borkum Islands, Germany.

Capacity and Turbines

  • The wind farm has a total capacity of 396 MW.
  • It features 66 Haliade 150-6MW wind turbines, each with a rotor diameter of 150 meters and a hub height of 100 meters.

Power Output and Impact

  • The wind farm generates enough electricity to power approximately 500,000 households.
  • It produces around 1,750 GWh of electricity per year, contributing significantly to Germany's climate protection goals and the country's aim to generate 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050.

Infrastructure

  • The turbine towers are supported by XL monopiles and transition pieces. The monopiles are 8 meters in diameter, 70 meters in length, and weigh approximately 1,100 tons.
  • The wind turbines are connected to a central offshore substation through a 12-string inter-array cable grid. The electricity generated is converted from 33kV to 115kV.
  • The electricity is collected at the Merkur offshore substation and transferred to TenneT’s DolWin gamma, an HVDC converter platform. From there, it is transmitted to the Dorpen-West onshore substation via 320kV export cables, including 75 kilometers of offshore and 90 kilometers of onshore underground cables.

Construction and Timeline

  • Construction of the wind farm began in December 2015.
  • Offshore cable construction and foundation installation works commenced in 2017.
  • The project was completed by 2018, with the wind farm becoming operational in the summer of 2019.

Financing

  • The project was developed at an estimated cost of €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion).
  • Ten banks provided debt capital of €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion), while a consortium of five partners, including Partners Group, InfraRed Capital, DEME Concessions Wind, GE Energy, and L’Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie (ADEME), provided approximately €500 million ($546 million).

Contractors and Partners

  • GE supplied the wind turbines.
  • DEME was responsible for the installation of the turbines.
  • GeoSea acted as the turnkey contractor for the balance of plant works.
  • Other contractors involved included SgurrEnergy, Palfinger Marine, Mott MacDonald, ENGIE Fabricom, Tractebel ENGIE, Iemants, Tekmar Energy, Northern HeliCopter, Prysmian, and Hogan Lovells.

Operations and Management

  • The wind farm is operated by Merkur Offshore, which also provides consultancy services for other wind farm projects.
  • The operational team includes around 20 people who manage the wind farm and support other projects under development or construction.
  • The company offers a range of services including wind farm planning and design, construction supervision, installation management, commissioning support, and decommissioning planning. They also provide commercial services such as market research, financial advice, risk management, and revenue management.

Technical and Commercial Services

  • Merkur Offshore optimizes wind farm planning and design through assessment studies, project analysis, and handling of permitting procedures.
  • They ensure the wind farm is implemented on time and within budget through construction supervision and installation management.
  • The company maximizes returns through revenue management, trading strategies, and commercial management during the operational phase.

Career Opportunities

  • Merkur Offshore is currently expanding its consultancy services and is looking for professionals such as Mechanical/Renewables Engineers to support the technical and asset management team. These roles involve managing service contracts, asset inspections, maintenance activities, and project management of repair and retrofit activities.
Flag Name Type Date
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 11/8/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 11/8/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 11/8/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 11/8/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 11/6/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 11/5/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 11/2/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 10/31/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 10/23/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/23/2024
SEAZIP 4 Other 9/22/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/22/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/22/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/21/2024
SEAZIP 4 Other 9/21/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/21/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/20/2024
SEAZIP 4 Other 9/20/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/20/2024
SEAZIP 4 Other 9/19/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/20/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/20/2024
FRITZ REUTER Pleasure 9/19/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/19/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/19/2024
FRITZ REUTER Pleasure 9/18/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/18/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/18/2024
SEAZIP 4 Other 9/18/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/18/2024
FRITZ REUTER Pleasure 9/18/2024
SEAZIP 4 Other 9/18/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/18/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/17/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/17/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/8/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/7/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/7/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/5/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/5/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/5/2024
SEAZIP 4 Other 9/5/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/5/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/2/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/2/2024
RESPONDER Other 9/1/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/1/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 9/1/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 8/28/2024
WINDEA JULES VERNE Other 8/28/2024
Accept Reject