Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency BSH is tendering for geotechnical studies of potential new sites for wind energy development in the North and Baltic Seas.
The survey results will be provided to future bidders and potential developers.
BSH told reNEWS: “The work is part of BSH’s preliminary investigations. The aim… (is) to provide bidders and potential developers with the information required to determine the market premium for BNetzA tenders in accordance with Section 22 of the Renewable Energy Sources Act.”
Surveys will include drilling up to 80 metres below the seabed at water depths of up to 50 metres, including drilling cores, core extraction, pressure sounding and borehole geophysics, as well as laboratory investigations.
The new areas to be surveyed in the North Sea lie between the traffic separation areas German Bight Western Approach and Terschelling German Bight.
According to the tender notice the area N-3.7 lies between the 31-metre and the 34-metre water depth contours.
Directly to the west are the wind farms Gode Wind 1&2 and to the east is the project area Gode Wind 3 and to the southeast Gode Wind 4.
The distances to the nearest islands Norderney, Juist, Baltrum and Langeoog to the south are about 30-40km.
The area N-3.8 adjoins N-3.5 and N-3.6, next to NordSee One wind farm and Gode Wind 1&2.
In the Baltic Sea the new area O-1.3 is located about 38 km northeast of the island of Rugen, where the water depths are between 41 metres and 45 metres.
The mainland is some 82 km distant. Directly to the south and adjacent are the offshore wind projects Viking and Arkona.
Contracts are expected to be divided into a North Sea lot and a Baltic Sea lot and run from mid-April.
BSH said: “These are new areas which are being considered for future use by offshore wind energy. No approvals for offshore wind farms have yet been issued for these areas.”