Germany: DNV GL to provide project certification for E.ON’s Arkona offshore wind farm

E.ON has awarded the project certification contract for the new Arkona offshore wind farm to DNV GL. The project covers the inspection phases, from manufacturing, transport, installation and commissioning to take the wind farm into operation.

The Arkona offshore wind farm is a 385 MW offshore wind farm which is currently being developed by E.ON. The wind farm will be located 35 km northeast of Rügen Island, in the Baltic Sea, Germany. The energy company Statoil has a 50 percent stake and is involved in the project from the start. E.ON is responsible for building and operating the wind farm. Upon planned completion in 2019, the project will supply renewable energy for approximately 400,000 households and offset 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

Having worked on the project since 2014, DNV GL was initially appointed by E.ON for the full design assessment of the windfarm’s turbines and the offshore substations. During the design assessment, DNV GL ensured timely delivery of the conformity statements for the basic design of the wind turbines and support structure. Currently DNV GL and E.ON are collaborating to finalise the detailed design of both offshore transformer station and turbine and support structures. Building on the successful partnership, DNV GL is now continuing its work with E.ON into the operational phase of the wind farm.

Arkona marks the 14th offshore wind farm in Germany alone which DNV GL is supporting with its certification services, out of a total of 16 German wind farms currently in operation or under construction.

Steffen Haupt, Global Head of Business Development and Sales at DNV GL – Energy, Renewables Certification added: “As the pressure to produce clean energy at a cost-competitive price is growing, ensuring that the objectives of new wind energy projects are being met at each stage in the run-up to their operation is vital. Supporting this venture from start to finish enables us to contribute best to the success of this important offshore project and we are excited to work side-by-side with E.ON to get Arkona implemented.”

The stringent inspections of the project certification phase are designed to ensure that the assumptions made in the design assessment phase are validated and thus support the goal to provide optimal reliability for the entirety of the project lifetime.

Having type certified both the Siemens SWT-6.0-154 turbine, which will be supplied to the project, as well as other manufacturers providing components to the Arkona wind farm, DNV GL’s experts provide a unique knowledge of the wind farm assets.

Working with DNV GL, the world’s largest certification body, enables E.ON to tap into a global workforce of highly technical experts, ensuring that the entire project certification process will be delivered by one supplier.