Soon there will be 27 more wind turbines off Rügen. Both the construction and the wind farm will be visible from the coast. It’s not just the sight that bothers critics.
Sassnitz (dpa/mv) – From the end of May, people from Rügen will be able to observe the construction of the Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm. Then the first installation phase should begin, said Manfred Dittmer, Managing Director of Parkwind Germany. The first thing to do is to install the foundations, in which large steel pipes are inserted into the seabed. That will take about four to six weeks.
“I do think that installing the foundations is something that you will just notice visually,” said Dittmer. The wind farm is relatively close to the coast, it is within the territorial sea, i.e. within the 12 nautical mile zone, and is therefore closer to the coast than the other wind farms that we already have here.”
Even after the work is completed, the wind turbines are still in sight. “You will be able to see the wind farm during the day when visibility is good from Kap Arkona and the Königsstuhl, among other places, because the wind farm is around 17 to 20 kilometers from the coast,” said Dittmer. “We’re going to build quite large facilities.”
The managing director counters criticism from residents and tourism associations: “Our experience shows that tourists are more curious and react positively to this new development.” In addition, they exchanged views with the mayors and municipal councils and answered questions from the citizens. “In addition, jobs are created locally – highly qualified and permanent,” said Dittmer.
Environmental organizations such as Nabu also criticize the high level of noise and noise pollution during the construction and maintenance of the facilities for marine animals. According to Dittmer, care is therefore taken during construction to reduce noise. Among other things, a bubble curtain should be placed around the installation site.
Arcadis Ost 1 is scheduled to go into operation in 2023 and have an output of 257 megawatts. The wind farm should be able to supply electricity for around 300,000 households. 27 wind turbines will be installed off Rügen for this purpose.
