Trianel Borkum Phase 1

Location

The Trianel Windpark Borkum Phase 1 is located in the German North Sea, approximately 45 kilometers north of the island of Borkum, in water depths ranging between 25 and 35 meters.

Project Development and Ownership

The project was developed by Trianel, a network of several municipal utilities from Germany. The development involved 33 municipal utilities, with Trianel being a key player.

Construction and Commissioning

Construction on Phase 1, also known as Trianel Wind Farm Borkum I, began in September 2011. The project was commissioned in September 2015.

Capacity and Turbines

• The wind farm consists of 40 Areva M5000-116 wind turbines.
• Each turbine has a rated capacity of 5 MW, resulting in a total installed capacity of 200 MW.
• The turbines are mounted on 45-meter-high tripod foundations, with each turbine standing 148 meters above the waterline and 178 meters from the seabed to the blade tip.

Technical Details

• Rotor and Hub Height: Each turbine has a rotor diameter of 116 meters and a hub height of 90 meters above sea level.
• Swept Area: The rotor star covers an area of about one and a half soccer fields.
• Wind Speeds: The turbines are designed to operate at wind speeds between 3.5 m/s (cut-in) and 25 m/s (cut-out), with the blades rotating at a tip speed of around 320 km/h.
• Foundation: The tripods are anchored to the seabed using steel pipes (piles) that are up to 40 meters long and weigh up to 100 tons. The total steel used for the foundations is around 48,000 tons.

Power Generation

• The wind farm generates approximately 800 million kWh (or 800 GWh) of electricity per year.
• The capacity factor for the first six months of operation was 51.6%, producing 452.33 GWh of electricity.

Grid Connection

• The electricity produced is gathered and stepped up from 33 kV to 155 kV at an onsite-offshore transformer platform, which is shared with the sister wind farm Trianel Wind Farm Borkum II.
• The electricity is then converted into direct current (DC) at the DolWin alpha converter platform and transported onshore via a 75 km long submarine cable. It is then converted back into alternating current (AC) at the Dörpen West converter station in Emsland before being fed into the TenneT transmission grid.

Environmental and Operational Impact

• The wind farm is designed to operate for 25 years and has a full utilization time of around 3,500 to 4,000 hours per year.
• The project contributes significantly to renewable energy production, helping to reduce carbon emissions and support Germany's energy transition goals.

Recent Developments

• The wind farm has been supplying Deutsche Bahn, the national railway company of Germany, with 175 million kWh of electricity.
• Trianel continues to focus on integrating renewables into the market and driving forward the expansion of renewable energy, with ongoing projects and future plans in the wind and solar segments.