EnBW wins bid for 900-MW subsidy-free offshore wind farm

German utility Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG (ETR:EBK), or EnBW, said today its bid to build a 900-MW offshore wind farm without state subsidies has been successful in Germany's first offshore wind auction.

EnBW's bid for the He Dreiht project was accepted in the tender, which received four bids for 1,490 MW of capacity, 60 MW short of the targeted 1,550 MW.

The 900-MW He Dreiht wind park is slated for delivery in 2025 and EnBW said it will benefit from rapidly advancing technological developments. Also, the utility is expecting synergies due to He Dreiht's proximity to two other EnBW wind projects in the North Sea -- Hohe See and Albatros, with the three representing around 1,500 MW of capacity.

"We have set a clear signal for the direction in which offshore technology is headed with our successful bid. Offshore wind farms are power plants at sea that can be refinanced in future on the electricity market and thus even without funding and additional economic costs can also make an important contribution to the Energiewende and the security of supply in an energy system based on renewable energies" said Dirk Guesewell, who is in charge of the expansion of renewable energies at EnBW.

Guesewell explained the company's plans are based on comprehensive market analyses and intensive discussions with the supplier industry, where many new technological developments are progressing on the road to achieving cost efficient solutions . "The anticipated returns are considerably above our capital costs and thus remain attractive," he added.

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