On 21 May, the Alpha Ventus consortium announced the decision to decommission the offshore wind farm and reiterated that the project had more than fulfilled its purpose, and that it would bring more pioneering moments in the offshore wind industry.
For the first time in Germany, the dismantling of an offshore wind farm will be undertaken in close cooperation with the relevant authorities, which will provide a learning opportunity for the future dismantling of large offshore wind farms, according to the consortium.
“Alpha Ventus will reach the end of its planned operating life in just over four years . Therefore, we are faced with the challenge of examining how to proceed” , said Eric Richter , Managing Director of the Alpha Ventus operating company DOTI. “We considered various options – including repowering, of course. However, due to the size and weight of today’s turbine models, the foundations would also have to be replaced, which would be equivalent to building a new turbine, and the relatively small area of Alpha Ventus is not suitable for this. We are now working with our partners and the responsible authorities on an environmentally friendly decommissioning concept.”
A concept for the dismantling of the wind turbines and the on-site substation is currently being developed in close coordination with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). This concept will prioritise not only protecting the marine environment but also recycling the components, the Alpha Ventus consortium said.
“We are still at the very beginning of our considerations regarding decommissioning. Just as we were the first to build an offshore wind farm in German waters, we are now the first to gain experience with decommissioning. It is perfectly normal to plan such work well in advance – also because the special vessels and port capacity required for this must be booked well in advance” , Richter said.
The Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm is located in the German Bight, approximately 45 kilometres off the island of Borkum. The 60 MW project, commissioned on 27 April 2010, comprises six Adwen M5000 and six Senvion 5M wind turbines, installed on two different types of foundations.
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