Germany’s First North Sea Commercial OWF Celebrates Fifth Birthday

BARD Offshore 1, Germany’s first commercial offshore wind farm in the North Sea, marked five years of service on 26 August.

Since it went into operation in 2013, the offshore wind farm has fed almost 6TWh into the grid.

In the first two years, BARD Offshore 1’s electricity production was just under half a TWh, and from 2015 significantly above one TWh. As its production output continuously increased, in 2017, the project had the highest output among Germany’s offshore wind farms, with an energy yield of around 1.5 TWh (1.488).

Jens Hagen, Commercial Managing Director at Ocean Breeze Energy (OBE), says: “As pioneers of the German offshore industry, we had to face many challenges on the high seas first. Today, five years after the start of operations, BARD Offshore 1 is Germany’s offshore wind farm with the highest production capacity. We have achieved this in particular with the continuous optimization of offshore processes by our best-in-class team.”

Jean Huby, Technical Managing Director at OBE, adds: “The pioneering project BARD Offshore 1 has paved the not always easy way for the offshore wind industry in Germany. The journey is not over yet: with the experience we have gained at Ocean Breeze Energy together with our industry partners, we have a lot of potential for further optimizations. We are pleased to be able to make a contribution to a successful Energiewende.”

The 400MW BARD Offshore 1, located in the German Bight some 100km off the German coast, comprises 80 5MW wind turbines and is operated by Ocean Breeze Energy.

NOTE: The article has been updated to state BARD Offshore 1 is Germany’s first commercial offshore wind farm in the North Sea, since the 48.3MW EnBW Baltic 1 project went online two years before the 400MW BARD Offshore 1.