This Wednesday 15th of September, Port of Mukran, Ems Maritime Offshore (EMO), Vestas and Parkwind signed the lease agreements for the O&M building that will serve the forthcoming Arcadis Ost I wind farm. The signing ceremony, in the presence of the Minister of Energy, Infrastructure and Digitalization of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Christian Pegel, marks the beginning of the development of a 1,800 m2 structure where up to 40 professionals will oversee and service the operations of the 257 MW wind farm ARCADIS Ost I.
The signing of the agreement closely follows the Arcadis Ost 1 financial close signed earlier this summer. The wind farm will be located in the German territorial waters of the Baltic Sea, northeast of the island of Rügen. It will generate green energy to power the equivalent of up to 290,000 households. Offshore installation works are due to begin in 2022 and the wind farm is expected to be fully operational in 2023.
“I am really pleased that Port Mukran will now also become the base port for maintenance and service of the Arkadis Ost 1 wind farm. The companies’ decision to opt for the Port of Sassnitz cements its position as a key location for the offshore industry. But it also demonstrates that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s commitment to the generation of wind energy off its coast is not just a win for climate change mitigation, but also for the local economy – in the long term,” said Christian Pegel, the state’s energy minister.
“The favourable location with the shortest distance to the wind farm, and a good logistical infrastructure make Sassnitz-Mukran the perfect base for the operation and maintenance of Arcadis Ost and other projects in the Baltic Sea region. Our project partners can rely on our experience and know-how when it comes to building and operating a modern service base. We are looking forward to working together,” explains Hauke Groeneveld, Head of Port & Logistics Services at EMO.
“Together with Vestas and Parkwind as strong partners, we are focusing on an offshore service base designed for sustainability in the future,” emphasises EMO Managing Director Marcel Diekmann, adding: “As an experienced service company, we are ready for current and future projects in the Baltic Sea.”
Søren Hansen, VP of Service Operations at Vestas Northern & Central Europe said: ‘We’re pleased to have selected the Port of Mukran as the O&M base for Arcadis Ost 1. This milestone is a continuation of Vestas’ investment in Germany, and we’re pleased to be delivering long-term service jobs and the associated economic benefits to the Mukran area as part of the Arcadis Ost 1 project. It is excellent to be partnered with Parkwind on this important project for Germany, and we look forward to delivering our V174-9.5 MW turbines to the project beginning in 2022.
Eric Antoons, co-CEO of Parkwind, commented: “We are delighted that the Port of Mukran will become the Arcadis Ost 1 O&M base. Their understanding of our industry and experience in offshore projects make them the ideal choice . Today, with our distinguished partners and in the presence of Minister Pegel, we are able to demonstrate the effects offshore wind development brings to the local economy in terms of jobs and infrastructure. “
