PROJECT CASE BORKUM WEST II
A large number of wind farms are currently under development in German waters in the North and Baltic Seas. For those wind
projects located within the so-called Exclusive Economic Zone which begins 12 nautical miles from the coast, offi cial approval by
the German Authority “Bundesamt für Seefahrt und Hydrographie” (BSH) is required. The BSH also requires that the development
process be accompanied by a project certifi cation to be carried out by a recognised certifi cation body. SGS is currently involved in
the project certifi cation of 18 German offshore wind farms with the objective of obtaining approval by the BSH.
The offshore wind farm project Borkum West II is located in the North Sea, approximately 40 km north-northwest off of Lower
Saxony. Water depths are in the range of 27 to 32 m. The installed capacity of the project will be 400 MW using 80 wind turbines
each with a rated capacity of 5 MW. The annual energy yield is estimated to be in the order of 1200 GWh, enough to power some
250,000 households, which will result in an annual reduction of CO2 emissions of 700,000 tonnes. An offshore sub-station will
be installed at the same location will serve to connect these wind turbines with the grid on the mainland.
The preliminary geotechnical investigation on site has been completed. On-site construction work is scheduled to begin in second
quarter of 2012. SGS has been involved with project certifi cation since May 2008.