DONG Energy achieves construction milestone for Gode Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind farms

DONG Energy has completed the installation of both substation platforms for the 330 MW Gode Wind 1 and the 252 MW Gode Wind 2 wind farms in Germany.

The two substations are designed to convert the direct current (DC) output of the turbines to a 155 kV high-voltage alternating current (HVDC) signal connected to the grid for further transmission.

The first cables have also successfully been laid, with 42 steel pipes and transition pieces already installed. The foundations have been under construction since April 2015.

Trine Borum Bojsen, Managing Director of DONG Energy in Germany, has commented:

"This is an absolutely unique feature of this project. At all our previous wind farms, we have always only had one substation platform. But the Gode Wind 1 and 2 wind farm is special in many respects: with 97 wind turbines, it will be Germany's largest offshore wind farm. For this reason we had to install two platforms for the first time."

The project, located 45 km off of the German coast in the North Sea, consists of 97 Siemens SWT-6.0-154 6 MW turbines generating a total capacity of 582 MW. The total investment cost for the entire project is approximately €2.2 billion (US$2.5 billion).

The two substation platforms split the project as follows:

• Gode Wind 1: 55 turbines - 330 MW total; investment cost = approx. €1.2 billion (US$1.4 billion); owner: DONG Energy (100%).

• Gode Wind 2: 42 turbines - 252 MW total; investment cost = approx. €1 billion (US$1.1 billion); owners: DONG Energy (50%), PKA (24.75%), Industriens Pension (10.5%), Laerernes Pension (8.75%), Laegernes Pensionskasse (6%).

DONG Energy plans to cut the costs for its offshore wind farms by about 40% by 2020 compared to 2012. Gode Wind 1 and 2 will therefore serve as a model for the construction of future offshore wind farms for the energy supplier.

On completion of Gode Wind 1 and 2, DONG Energy will have built a total of approximately 3.5 GW of offshore wind. The company is targeting 6.5 GW by 2020.