The preliminary design of the Hiiu offshore wind farm will be completed by autumn
Enefit Green signed an agreement to prepare a preliminary design for the offshore wind farm planned north of Hiiumaa. According to the plans, the technical analysis of the farm will be completed in August this year.
The preliminary design for the Hiiu offshore wind farm will be prepared by international consulting company Ramboll. The company will analyze alternative wind turbine options as well as substation and connection cable solutions to the farm. The design also includes specifying the possibilities and needs of nearby ports during construction and maintenance. The design will also provide input in terms of technical solutions to the ongoing environmental impact assessment.
According to Karmo Kõrvek, Offshore Wind Development Manager at Enefit Green, the preliminary design plan will give a more detailed overview of what the Hiiu offshore farm could be like. “The design will not provide definitive answers, but proposes solutions that are both technically and environmentally sound. This information is important for the developer, the authorities as well as potential partners among entrepreneurs,” Kõrvek said.
Kõrvek added that the ongoing environmental impact assessment of Hiiu offshore wind farm is also analyzing different turbine types. „Hiiu park would be in construction phase by 2030, therefore it is important for all research and analysis to be based on the newest possible technology. Developing an offshore wind farm takes a long time but is also a very strong step on our journey to zero, as the production of even one offshore wind farm would cover half of Estonia’s electricity consumption.”
Mariusz Wójcik leading Project Development & Advisory services for Offshore Wind in the Baltics for Ramboll: „We are excited to be supporting Enefit Green in the development of this project and we have put together a dedicated and experienced international team to contribute to the success of the project. We are confident that the project will be an important step towards energy transition not only in Estonia but also for the Baltic States and the whole Europe.“
With long-term engineering experience, the Ramboll Group of Danish origin focuses on sustainable solutions and has produced both cost-benefit calculations and technical projects for offshore wind farms around the world.
The preliminary design was commissioned through public procurement announced in February.
Hiiu (or Loode-Eesti) Offshore wind farm will be located ca 12 km North of Estonia’s second largest island Hiiumaa. The park has a production capacity of 1,1 gigawatts and estimated annual production of up to 5 terawatt-hours.
Hiiu Offshore wind project was started in 2006 by Nelja Energia. In 2010 the environmental impact assessment programm was approved and this marks the beginning of research in the area scope of which has been specified many times. The environmental impact assessment of the farm is currently near completion.