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7 September 2021

For further information, please contact:

Endre Johansen, Corporate Communications AS
Telephone: +47 41 61 06 05
Email: [email protected]

About ABL Group ASA

ABL Group (OSE: ABL Group ASA – ticker code “ABL”) is a leading independent global consultancy delivering energy, marine, engineering and digital solutions to drive safety and sustainability in renewables, maritime and oil & gas sectors. The group has offices in 39 countries worldwide and operates under four brands: ABL, OWC, Longitude and AGR.

OWC to assess wind conditions for future German offshore wind tendering sites

Offshore wind consultancy OWC has been awarded a contract by Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie/BSH) to analyse and assess wind conditions for two future German offshore wind tendering sites. 

OWC, an AqualisBraemar LOC Group (ABL Group) company, has assembled a team of internal experts and external cooperation partners, including Fraunhofer IWES and ProPlanEn, to assess the historic wind potential across the German Exclusive Economic Zone in the North Sea. The study’s outcome will be published by BSH on “https://pinta.bsh.de/” and can then be utilised by project developers, energy suppliers and banks in conjunction with the project financing of the offshore wind farms. 

“The team we bring to this project includes experts with over 20 years of experience in modelling wind resource for offshore wind farms, and in the implementation of measurements with LiDAR technology and the evaluation of corresponding data,” says Okan Sargin, global head of wind & site at OWC, who will head up the work. 

The German Renewable Energy Sources Act for offshore wind energy has set an adjusted target of 20 GW by 2030. This goal is to be achieved through tenders in accordance with the Offshore Wind Energy Act (Windenergie-auf-See-Gesetz). 

The BSH plays a central role in the tendering process as it draws up site development plans for the sites to be auctioned. Preliminary investigations are carried out for suitable sites and their results published as part of the tenders. As part of the bid calculation, the bidder needs as detailed information as possible about the wind conditions in the target site to design a wind farm and create a yield forecast on this basis. 

To support BSH, OWC will create the wind condition reports for target sites N-6.6 and N-7.2, as shown in the below figure. 

The services offered are divided into three work packages for each of the two suitability zones: The plausibility and consistency checks of the short-term data are followed by corrections for the influence of neighbouring wind farms and establishing a long-term relationship with the historic long-term data. Finally, a spatial analysis of the wind field will be conducted, with a detailed reporting on statistical evaluation and description of the meteorological conditions.

“We are delighted that we have been requested to deliver this important work for BSH and help support the German federal government’s goal of achieving 20 GW of offshore wind by 2030. We will base our wind potential analyses on measurements completed on and near-site, corrected for wake impacts and supplemented by mesoscale modelling,” adds Okan Sargin. 

OWC is a leading independent engineering consultancy supporting the development and realisation of offshore wind projects, with a range of services, including project development services, owner’s engineering and technical due diligence.

Fraunhofer IWES ensures investments in technological developments in the field of wind energy and hydrogen technology through its validation services. By operating large test rigs, it accelerates the market introduction of innovative products, enhances certification processes and increases planning security by using state-of-the-art measurement techniques. Fraunhofer IWES employs around 250 scientists and administrative staff and more than 100 students at five sites: Bremerhaven, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg and Oldenburg.

ProPlanEn is an independent wind energy consulting company that specialises in the field of wind data analysis, wind resource assessment, modelling of wind farm losses, wind farm planning and the development of processes and tools in this area.