Amid discussions of potentially decommissioning the 15-year-old Alpha Ventus, the consortium behind Germany’s first offshore wind farm—EWE (47.5%), RWE (26.25%), and Vattenfall (26.25%)—emphasizes that the 60 MW project has fulfilled its original purpose.
Alpha Ventus, commissioned on April 27, 2010, is Germany’s oldest operating offshore wind project. Located 45 kilometers north of Borkum Island in the North Sea, it features six Adwen M5000 and six Senvion 5M wind turbines on two types of foundations.
In February, German media reported that the consortium is evaluating future steps for the wind farm, including decommissioning. EWE and RWE highlighted that Alpha Ventus was designed as a test field, not a regular wind farm, and its role was to gain experience for future projects.
“Alpha Ventus is a pioneering project both technically and legally,” an EWE spokesperson told offshoreWIND.biz.
The consortium is exploring all options for Alpha Ventus, including dismantling, which would provide valuable insights since few offshore wind farms have been decommissioned so far. “We will likely gain early experience in dismantling as well,” the EWE spokesperson added.
Although Alpha Ventus is entitled to a basic remuneration of 3.9 euro cents/kWh under the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG), it markets electricity directly on the exchange, according to EWE. This affects the timing of its potential dismantling.
RWE also stated that evaluating an offshore wind farm’s future years before the end of its design lifetime is standard practice. The extensive data gathered from Alpha Ventus has been crucial for the development of offshore wind off the German coast.
The consortium is collaborating closely with relevant authorities to decide the next steps, currently in the early stages of deliberation.
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