EWE’s 113MW Riffgat wind farm in the German North Sea will remain offline until April over delays to export cable repairs.
A UXO search has pushed back the timetable for the cable works and TenneT now expects to reconnect the project on April 24.
Riffgat connects to the mainland via a direct AC connection but has been offline since November when a short circuit at the offshore cable section between Emden Borsum and the wind farm damaged the NKT-built cable. The reason for the damage is not clear.
Cable manufacturer NKT has commissioned a subcontractor to localise the defect and to repair the cable section.
Under German offshore wind rules, operator EWE may seek compensation from the 11th day of technical grid outages with compensation of up to 90% of expected income available.
A UXO search also delayed grid connection after EWE had completed construction work at Riffgat in July 2013. TenneT connected the project in March 2014.
Image: Riffgat offshore wind farm (EWE)
