EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG has begun constructing the service station for the Hohe See and Albatros offshore wind farms next to the Emden Airport in Germany.
According to EnBW, 40 service technicians who will be flown by helicopter from the new base to the two projects some 95km offshore the island of Borkum.
The two-story station will feature offices and social spaces covering an area of almost 550m2, as well as a storage warehouse for spare parts and tools.
Construction is due to be completed in summer 2019 when the first employees will move in.
The service technicians will live and work on board Bibby Wavemaster Horizon, currently being built in Romania.
The vessel will be chartered from the end of next year for four weeks at a time, after which it will be returning to the Emden harbor to be restocked with food, water, fuel and spare parts.
“We were convinced by the arguments in favour of Emden. The location and infrastructure make it ideal as a base from which to maintain our North Sea wind farms,” said Michael Splett , Head of Offshore Operations at EnBW.
The Emden-based team will also be in charge of maintaining the planned 900MW He Dreiht offshore wind farm. Over the next few years, EnBW is expected to create 60 new jobs in total.
The 497MW Hohe See and the 112MW Albatros offshore wind farms will comprise a total of 87 Siemens SWT-7.0-154 turbines scheduled for commissioning at the beginning of 2020.