Iberdrola began operations yesterday in the maritime wind farm Wikinger in the waters of the Baltic in Germany, which supposes the first maritime wind power project built by the group on its own, with an investment rising to 1.4 billion euros. With an output of 350MW, the Wikinger wind farm is able to supply clean energy to 350,000 households, whose consumption amounts to more than 20% of the energy demand in the state of West Mecklemburg-Pomerania, where the wind farm is located. This flow of renewable energy will have a highly positive impact on the environment, by avoiding the emission into the atmosphere of almost 600,000 tons of CO2 per year.
This wind farm represents the first phase in a larger wind power complex, of 836 MW and with a joint investment of 2.5 billion euros, which will also be the largest maritime wind power complex in the Baltic. In this way, Iberdrola penetrates the German market, which has become a key area for the company.
The project has supposed an important boost, in that 2,000 jobs have already created in construction in the port of Mukran and in the factories where the components are made, both in Germany and Spain.
Companies have participated in its development like the Asturian Windar, with the construction of 280 40m long stilts, as well as the Danish company Bladt and the Spanish Navantia, which has built the 70 jackets. Also the energy heart of the farm, the maritime substation, has been built by Navantia at its headquarters in Puerto Real (Andalucia). The 5MW unitary output turbines have been constructed by Siemens Gamesa in its plants at Bremerhaven and Stade (Germany). They are the largest and most powerful aerogenerators that Iberdrola has ever installed.
The maritime wind farm is one of the strategic wagers of the group, with a significant growth in its projects in recent years which has resulted in it holding in its portfolio the development of 2,500 MW up to 2023, with the objective of exceeding a capacity of 3GW with long term contracts.
With the wind farm in Germany, the group already has a total of 545 MW in operation in maritime wind farms thanks to the farms at West of Duddons Sands (UK), a joint project with Orsted with a total of 389 MW – 195 MW of Iberdrola – and Wikinger itself. Moreover, in the rest of Europe it has projects under construction for another 1,700 MW “Offshore”, with the wind farms East Anglia 1 (UK) of 714MW; Saint Brieuc (France) of 496MW; and Baltic Eagle (Germany), 486 MW; as well the Vineyard project in the US (Massachusetts) of 800MW, in which Iberdrola is a 50% partner.
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