Van Oord awarded contract to construct Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm

Subsequent to the announcement that Northland Power’s 252 MW Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm has reached financial close, Van Oord is pleased to confirm that it is contracted for the Balance of Plant scope. The project was originally developed by Highland Group Holdings Ltd.

The Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm is located in the German Bight, 95 kilometres northwest of the island of Borkum. Van Oord has been awarded the Balance of Plant contract. The scope consists of the design, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the foundations, inter array cables and offshore high voltage station, and the transportation of the wind turbines. Van Oord will deploy amongst others its offshore installation vessel Aeolus, and cable-laying vessel Nexus. The offshore installation is envisaged to start in the second half of 2018. Deutsche Bucht will be operational by the end of 2019.

Offshore wind farm

The offshore wind farm will consist of 31 8 MW wind turbines and will have a rated power of 252 MW. This is enough to provide more than 178,000 homes annually with sustainable energy. Once completed, the offshore wind farm reduces CO2 emissons by more than 360,000 tonnes per year. The reduction fits to the goals set by the German government to reduce CO2 emissions in 2020 with 40% compared to 1990.

John Brace, Chief Executive Officer of Northland Power: ‘We had a great experience working with Van Oord on our Gemini wind farm. Van Oord is one of the world’s leading contractors in offshore construction, and we have developed a very strong and collaborative relationship. Together we look forward to delivering another high quality project.’