DNV GL submits project certificate for 288 MW German offshore wind farm “Meerwind”

Project certification ensures that the wind farm will operate safely and cost efficient, risks are mitigated and all technical, design and construction requirements are met

DNV GL has submitted the project certificate for the German offshore wind farm Meerwind Süd|Ost to WindMW, responsible for the development, construction and operation of the project. Meerwind Süd|Ost is a 288 megawatt offshore wind farm, located 23 kilometers offshore from the island of Helgoland, and one of the largest projects of its kind in North Sea history. The submission follows exceptionally close cooperation between DNV GL and WindMW during planning and construction to optimize the performance of the wind farm. Thereby WindMW is the first full certified German offshore wind farm.

Occupying a total area of 43 km2 Meerwind Süd|Ost supplies clean electric power to the grid for 360,000 households. More than 100 DNV GL experts have been involved over a 36 month period to ensure the highest quality standards were maintained while overcoming significant challenges, which were posed by the distance of the farm from shore (23km), the height of the turbines (149m) and the rotor blade diameters (120m) and the size of the wind farm consisting of 80 turbines.

DNV GL supported the technical pioneering work that was necessary to overcome these challenges and ensure the successful completion of the Meerwind project. This included the foundation of the monopile wind turbine structures, the connection of the monopiles and transition pieces and the synchronization of 80 different current flows by the transformer station on the offshore platform.

By establishing an early conversation with the constructor as the foundations were laid DNV GL experts were able to guarantee an efficient development leading to performance optimized wind farm operation.

During connection of the monopiles and transition pieces DNV GL provided independent evidence that even lower temperatures, bigger wave heights and stronger wind speeds than argued before would enable construction, something that had not been achieved previously. Overall this insight reduced the construction and installation time needed and kept the project within budget.

Finally, DNV GL brought together expertise from different areas within the business, including Energy, Oil & Gas and Maritime, to evaluate pressure lines, electrical and safety systems to enable the best possible solution for WindMW, in order to secure the synchronization of current flows by the transformer station under offshore weather conditions.

“By bringing together team of DNV GL experts from several different business areas we established a strong partnership to address an unprecedented challenge, ultimately contributing to helping the construction stay on budget, and submitting the project certificate”, Jens Assheuer, director of WindMW, says.

Fabio Pollicino, Global Service Line Leader for Project Certification at DNV GL, adds: “From the very beginning the cooperation of both parties during the project consistently concentrated on an optimal performance. With our technical expertise, we strived for a maximum of reliability in order to enable WindMW to get the secure and cost-efficient wind power station that had been planned and ordered. With this project we stretched previous boundaries.”

More information about the Meerwind Süd|Ost project certification: https://www.dnvgl.com/meerwind