Van Oord has signed a contract with the Spanish energy company Iberdrola for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm. Van Oord will transport and install the foundations and ensure the supply, transport and installation of inter-array cables.

With a production capacity of 476 MW, the Baltic Eagle wind farm will deliver renewable energy to 475,000 households while saving nearly 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. It is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2024.

“Iberdrola is one of the leading developers contributing to the energy transition by investing in offshore wind projects around the globe – in Germany, our Baltic Hub will have an installed capacity of 826 MW by the end of 2024. Tapping into the expertise of Van Oord yet again makes us confident that Baltic Eagle offshore windfarm will be delivered as planned,” said Iris Stempfle, Iberdola country manager in Germany

Iberdrola Renovables Deutschland is planning to increase their installed capacity in Germany to more than 1.1 GW by the end of 2026.

The Baltic Sea holds incredible potential for offshore wind in Europe. Germany and several other countries, including Poland, Sweden and Estonia, are exploring new opportunities for offshore wind there.

Van Oord to deploy Svanen in the Baltic Sea

Van Oord plans to deploy its 8,000-tonne heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen to install the 50 foundations. So far, the Svanen has installed more than 700 foundations throughout Europe and the vast majority of monopiles in the Baltic Sea, including those for Baltic 2, Arkona and Kriegers Flak.

The offshore works for the Baltic Eagle project will commence in 2023. Van Oord’s cable laying vessel Nexus and trencher Dig-It will be deployed to lay the inter-array cables. Van Oord will customise the Dig-It to ensure that it can handle the challenging soft soil conditions in the Baltic Sea.

“We are very pleased to be working with Iberdrola again, this time on the Baltic Eagle project in the German Baltic Sea. Combining the installation of foundations and the supply and laying of cables will ensure efficient project execution,” noted Arnoud Kuis, managing director Van Oord Offshore Wind.