EnBW is examining basic economic and technical conditions for a possible implementation of its Albatros offshore wind project and has thus recently initiated tenders for the supply of wind turbines, foundations and offshore substation, as well as inter-array cabling , for which potential suppliers had until last night to prequalify”.
“By initiating tendering procedures we will determine in the next few months whether the implementation of Albatros by 2019 is possible and whether the wind farm is economical to implement, despite its relatively small size. With this, we will create preconditions to be able to make a corresponding construction and investment decision,” said Hans-Josef Zimmer , CTO of EnBW.
EnBW acquired the Albatros offshore wind project in December 2014 . The initial project had an approval for the installation of 79 wind turbines of the 5-7 megawatt rating class. However, due to legal limit for the grid connections related to the expansion of offshore wind power by 2020, Albatros now has a grid connection approval for 116.8MW. Instead of 79, the wind farm would now feature 19 turbines.
The Albatros project site is located in the North Sea, in close proximity of the planned EnBW Hohe See wind farm, which provides the opportunity for synergies in the development and operational phases, the company said.