DNV GL certifies Nordsee Ost offshore wind project for innogy

DNV GL has awarded innogy SE the project certificate for its Nordsee Ost offshore wind farm at this year’s WindEnergy Hamburg exhibition. Nordsee Ost offshore wind farm is a lighthouse project supported by the EU, promoting a reliable, environmentally friendly energy supply that remains affordable. The certification was carried out according to the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH – Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie) standard, and covers all stages of the project development from design planning to commissioning.

Located north of the island of Heligoland in the German North Sea, the Nordsee Ost offshore wind farm is a one of the first offshore wind farms to be awarded with a full project certificate in Germany, it comprises 48 turbines with an installed capacity of 295 megawatt (MW). innogy SE is a well-established European energy company. With its three business segments Grid & Infrastructure, Retail and Renewables, it addresses the requirements of a modern, decarbonised, decentralised and digital energy world.

Project certification of wind farms is mandatory in Germany, and is specified by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. The certification of Nordsee Ost was carried out according the standard defined by the BSH 7005 edition 2007 and covers the wind farm’s turbines and offshore substation.

Thanks to its comprehensive 30-year experience both in offshore wind as well as the oil and gas sector, DNV GL’s team provided crucial cross-industry experience to ensure that the longstanding project was delivered on time and on budget.

“At the time when we started the development of the Nordsee Ost, DNV GL was the only partner capable of meeting German regulatory requirements for offshore project certification. Their flexibility and cross-industry experience ensured that we had a partner on our side that provided the required technical know-how and experience from one hand, to ensure our first offshore wind project in the German North Sea was successfully implemented”, said Paul Cowling, Director of Wind Offshore at innogy SE. innogy is number three worldwide in offshore wind by installed capacity as of March 2016.

“As the leading certification body for offshore wind farms in Germany, DNV GL is proud to have helped innogy successfully complete this project”, said Jonathan Faas, Nordsee Ost Project Manager at DNV GL – Energy. “Having certified more offshore wind farms in the North Sea than any other certification body, allows us to offer solutions tailored to our customer’s project specifications and we are very pleased that our accommodating approach supported innogy in their goal to venture into the renewables space”, added Fabio Pollicino, Global Service Line Leader for Project Certification at DNV GL – Energy.