Arkona Offshore Wind Farm UXO Disposal Complete

E.ON informed that it has completed the disposal of the explosive ordnance at the Arkona offshore wind farm site in the German Baltic Sea.

The construction site, with an area of 39 square kilometers halfway between the island of Rügen and the Danish island of Bornholm, is now completely free of remains from the time of the Cold War as well as World Wars I and II, the company said.

The operation took four months and started with an examination of the seabed. Cameras and sonars identified more than 400 suspicious objects in depths of up to 37 meters.

The potentially unexploded ordnances were approached using underwater robots and individually examined. The objects were recovered securely by specialist firms and handed over to the authorities in the port of Mukran in Sassnitz.

The Arkona wind farm will generate 385 megawatts (MW) of power which can supply renewable energy for around 400,000 households. 60 6-MW wind turbines manufactured by Siemens will be installed.

The plants will be built on monopile foundations in water depths from 23 up to 37 meters. Arkona is a joint venture of E.ON with the Norwegian energy company Statoil.