Plans for 1GW-plus offshore wind farm with 20MW turbines

Norwegian developer unveils plans for a giant offshore wind farm that would use both fixed-bottom foundations and floating platforms.

RWE's 48MW Kårehamn wind farm was commissioned in 2013 – the last Swedish offshore wind farm to be fully commissioned.

A subsidiary of Norwegian renewable energy company Zephyr has unveiled plans for a 1GW-plus offshore wind farm off Sweden that would use both fixed-bottom foundations and floating platforms.

Zephyr Vind has launched a public consultation on its planned up-to 1410MW Poseidon wind farm that would be built in the Skagerrak, 40km north-west of Gothenburg in southern Sweden.

It would split the project across two sites – Poseidon North and Poseidon South, which would cover 162km2 and 35km2 respectively.

The northern site is further out to sea in deeper waters, so the developer would use floating foundations, it explained in a consultation document.

Zephyr Vind proposed two possible configurations for the wind farm.

The first option would feature 61 turbines with power ratings up to 20MW, 340-metre tip heights and 310-metre rotor diameters, giving a combined capacity of 1,220MW. Meanwhile, the second configuration would include 94 turbines up to 15MW, 260-metre tip heights and 230-metre rotor diameters, giving a combined capacity of 1,410MW.

It is unclear how the total capacity would be split between the northern and southern sites.

The developer expects to submit permit applications in 2022, subject to further investigations.

Zephyr suggested the wind farm could be commissioned around 2031.

Source:Wind Power Monthly  www.windpowermonthly.com