ELWIND has signed a contract with Haskoning for the design phase of the joint Estonian-Latvian state-run offshore wind project in the Baltic Sea.
Haskoning’s work will include layout optimisation, transmission grid studies and integration of site investigations and environmental assessment. The Dutch company will carry out the project together with subconsultant partner Empire Engineering, which is responsible for designing the foundations of the wind turbines.
Over the next three years, Haskoning will be conducting a study of the initial technical design (Pre‑FEED), developing the Pre‑FEED, the conceptual design, and the technical design for the ELWIND offshore wind farms in Estonia and Latvia.
The study in the Pre-FEED phase will inform the development of a general technical concept that will define the scope of the planned offshore wind farms and outline the next steps. This phase includes an analysis of available literature, the preparation of an updated technical basis for the project, an assessment of site conditions, and an evaluation of potential grid connection options, ELWIND explained.
The objective of the technical design phase is to consolidate the results of the comprehensive grid connection prestudy, environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies, site data investigations, and the Pre-FEED phase into a single report, taking into account all information obtained from the completed studies.
Together, the Pre‑FEED and technical design phases will provide a comprehensive, data‑driven technical foundation for the development of the Estonian and Latvian offshore wind farms, according to ELWIND.
For Haskoning, this is a second contract with ELWIND, which last year hired the company for a strategic cable and network configuration study for the planned offshore wind farm areas in both countries.
The ELWIND project aims to develop offshore wind farms in Latvian and Estonian territories and establish the fourth electricity interconnection between the two countries.
According to information on ELWIND’s website, the offshore wind project will have between 70 and 140 wind turbines and an installed capacity of 1-2 GW. The Estonian wind farm is planned to be built off Sõrve, while the offshore wind farm in Latvia will be located off Kurzeme.