Statoil is to partner with Eon on the 385MW Arkona offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea, which is slated to be fully operational in 2019.
The Norwegian company will take a 50% stake in the €1.2bn project, on which the final investment decision was announced today.
The deal confirms a story first reported exclusively in subscriber-only newsletter reNEWS.
Arkona will consist of 60 Siemens turbines, boosted to 6.4MW each, mounted on monopile foundations installed at water depths of 23 to 37 metres.
Eon had already lined up French fabricator STX to supply and install an AC offshore substation. Other contractors are expected to be unveiled later today.
The wind farm will be located 35km northeast of Rügen Island. For at least 25 years the logistics base for the construction and subsequent operation of Arkona offshore wind farm will be the Port of Sassnitz.
Up to 400 people will help build the wind farm during the construction phase, Eon said. Once in service, the wind farm will create up to 50 permanent jobs in operations, administration, and maintenance as well as, indirectly, another 100 jobs for external service providers.
Arkona will make Eon the first company to operate wind farms in both the German North Sea and Baltic Sea.
Eon earlier this year officially opened its 302MW Amrumbank West offshore wind farm in the German North Sea (pictured).
For the full story on what is next for Arkona, see this week’s issue of reNEWS.
Image: Eon
