Germany’s E.ON and Norwegian energy company Statoil have teamed up on a EUR 1.2 billion project to build the 385MW Arkona offshore wind farm in the German waters of the Baltic Sea.
Statoil will have a 50-percent stake and will be involved in the project from the start. E.ON, the holder of the remaining 50% stake, will have responsibility for building and operating the wind farm. This project will make E.ON the first company to operate wind farms in both the German North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
“Arkona further exemplifies E.ON’s leadership role in expanding renewables and shaping the new energy world,” E.ON Climate & Renewables CEO Michael Lewis said.
“This project offers ideal conditions for further reducing the costs of offshore wind and will be a big step toward realizing our goal of making renewables truly competitive. We’re pleased to be partnering with Statoil, which has outstanding expertise working in challenging offshore environments.”
Arkona, also known as Arkona-Becken Südost, is located in the Baltic Sea, 35 kilometers northeast of Rügen Island. The wind farm will comprise 60 six-megawatt Siemens turbines, expected to be fully commissioned in 2019. The turbine towers will be mounted on monopile foundations installed at depths of 23 to 37 meters.
For at least the next 25 years the logistics base for the construction and subsequent operation of Arkona offshore wind farm will be the Port of Sassnitz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The project represents Statoil’s first investment into German offshore wind market.
Irene Rummelhoff, Statoil’s executive vice president for New Energy Solutions, said: “We are pleased to announce our decision to develop this significant offshore wind project together with E.ON. Statoil is an established player in offshore wind, leveraging our more than 40 years of experience from offshore oil and gas projects to create value. This investment is in line with our strategy to gradually complement our oil and gas portfolio with profitable renewable energy and other low-carbon solutions.”