Fred Olsen Windcarrier seals Vestas deal for 'challenging' Baltic Eagle offshore job

Norwegian installer assigns Blue Tern to job at 476MW Iberdrola project off Germany that presents difficult soil conditions and relatively deep water

Fred Olsen Windcarrier's Blue Tern at the Moray East wind farm off the UK
Fred Olsen Windcarrier's Blue Tern at the Moray East wind farm off the UKFoto: FOW

Vestas and Fred Olsen Windcarrier (FOW) have set the seal on a deal to install the Danish OEM’s turbines at the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm being developed off Germany by Iberdrola.

The contractor has assigned the Blue Tern jack-up to the job, which will involve erection of 50 Vestas V174-9.5s for the 476MW project, with construction operations slated to start in 2024.

Theproject site, located off the island of Rügen, presents challenges linked to the water depth – a relatively deep 45 metres needing a jack-up with long legs – and complex soil conditions.

“FOW brings their proven offshore wind expertise and a highly capable vessel to the Baltic Eagle site and we look forward to a safe and successful project execution,” said Vestas’ head of marine operations and vessel management Dennis Mordhorst.

FOW’s CCO Casper Toft said: “This contract clearly showcases the diversity and competitiveness of our fleet and our ability to de-risk the execution of a challenging project.

“The Baltic Sea represents challenging soil conditions which requires significant available leg lengths and jacking experience. Two conditions FOW can offer to the Baltic Eagle project, by proposing Blue Tern and having experience from the [Iberdrola Baltic Sea] Wikinger project.”

Once online in 2025, Baltic Eagle will power some 475,000 households in Germany.

The Baltic Sea is set to take up a major role in Europe’s energy transition, second only to the North Sea in potential, with WindEurope forecasting the region to host as much as 93GW by 2050, up from 2.2GW today, as developers including Ocean Winds, Vattenfall, Equinor and Northland Power taking up strategic positions in recent months.
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Published 5 July 2021, 11:09Updated 5 July 2021, 11:09
Fred Olsen RenewablesFred Olsen WindcarrierIberdrolaVestasGermany