Germany has assigned connection capacity for eight offshore wind farm projects in the North Sea totalling 1.5GW and rejected three, in a major grid allocation process.
Strongest demand was registered in cluster number eight, where BorWin 3 is expected to be operational in 2019.
Some 450MW were available in that cluster and demand exceeded supply, with Strabag and EnBW applying for some 766MW.
An auction will follow shortly in the cluster, federal network agency BNA said.
The Riffgat wind farm will receive a further 5.4MW connection capacity, Trianel Windpark Borkum gets 200MW, Borkum Riffgrund 20.4MW, Borkum Riffgrund 2 100.8MW, Wikinger 350MW, and Arkona Becken Südost got 385MW.
EnBW’s 738MW He Dreiht offshore wind farm and WPD’s 581MW Kaikas project were declined.
BNA did not offer any capacity for clusters seven and 10.
WPD tried to apply to connect Kaikas via cluster 10, but the bid was rejected.
Gicon’s application for a 2.3MW floating demo wind turbine was declined due to an incomplete application.
The agency further confirmed plans to transfer Global Tech I’s link from BorWin 2 in cluster six to BorWin 3, located in cluster eight.
“The allocation method reformed in August has proved itself in practice,” BNA president Jochen Homann said in a statement.
“Developers adjusted their application to the capacity available, requiring only one auction in one cluster. This will allow for a speedy conclusion of the process.”