Construction on 400MW Global Tech I wind farm in Germany completes

Construction on the 400MW Global Tech I wind farm in the German North Sea has been completed with installation of 80 Areva 5MW turbines.

Located 100km off the coast in the German North Sea, the wind farm is spread over an area of around 41km² area.

To be operated by Global Tech I Offshore Wind, the wind farm is located in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), 180km away from the Bremerhaven Emden in the north-west.

Upon completion, the project is expected to generate 1,400GWh of clean energy every year, which is enough to power 445,000 houses in the region with an average consumption of 3,130kW hours annually.

Transmission grid operator TenneT will connect the wind farm to its BorWin Beta offshore converter station in early September 2014.

TenneT aims to start test operation of the grid connection in the fourth quarter of 2014 while the regular grid connection is anticipated to be available in early 2015.

Areva Wind CEO Arnaud Bellanger said: "This success marks another milestone for AREVA. The Group’s installed base now reaches 630 MW for offshore wind.

"This solid base founded on a proven technology, along with the creation of our joint-venture announced with GAMESA further consolidates AREVA’s position as a key player on the European offshore wind market."

Cabling work at the Global Tech I wind farm is now being finalized, with an underwater robot surveying the development’s 120km of inter-cable lines.

Other shareholders in the project include Stadtwerke München, HSE and Axpo Holding, Esportes Offshore Beteiligungs, Norderland Projekt and Windreich.