Riffgat

Location

The Riffgat wind farm is located in the North Sea, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the north-west of the German island of Borkum and north of the eponymous shipping channel. It is situated in the southern part of the North Sea, off the coast of Lower Saxony, Germany.

Coordinates and Depth

• Latitude: 53° 41' 30.6"
• Longitude: 6° 28' 10.4"
• Depth: -20 meters
• Distance from shore: 40 km.

Project Details

• Name: Riffgat (also known as Borkum Riffgat and OWP Riffgat)
• Commissioning: The project entered into commercial operation in February 2014.
• Construction: Construction commenced in 2012.

Ownership and Operation

• Operator: EWE AG
• Owners: EWE AG holds a 99.58% stake, while ENOVA Energiesysteme holds a 0.42% stake.

Turbines and Capacity

• Number of Turbines: 30
• Turbine Model: Siemens SWT-3.6-120
  • Each turbine has a nameplate capacity of 3.6 MW, although the total nominal power is listed as 108 MW (and uprated to 113,400 kW in some sources).
• Rotor Diameter: 120 meters
• Hub Height: Not specified in the sources provided.

Foundation and Infrastructure

• The wind turbines are installed on fixed foundations, specifically monopile foundations.

Energy Production

• The wind farm has a total capacity of 108 megawatts (MW) and is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 112,000 to 120,000 households.

Area and Layout

• The wind turbines are spread across an area of 6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi).

Historical Issues

• There was a territorial dispute with the Dutch government, which claimed the wind farm was partly in Dutch territory. This issue was resolved with the signing of the Ems-Dollart-Treaty in 2014.
• Between November 2015 and April 2016, the wind farm experienced transmission problems that prevented it from exporting power.

Maintenance and Services

• Deutsche Windtechnik and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy are contracted to provide operations and maintenance services for the project.

Investment

• The project was developed with an investment of approximately €480 million.