PNE Wind Receives Approval From BSH For Gode Wind II Offshore Wind Farm In Norderney, Germany

PNE Wind AG (PNE Wind) has received approval for the Gode Wind II offshore wind-farm from the Federal Agency for Marine Shipping and Hydrography (BSH). Thus, 80 wind-energy systems can be set up in this project in the North Sea about 33 kilometers to the north of Norderney, Germany. The start of realization for the Gode Wind II offshore wind-farm is planned for 2011 / 2012.

Gode Wind II is directly adjacent to the Gode Wind I offshore wind-farm project which has already been approved. According to the approvals received, these projects together enable the set-up of a total of 160 offshore wind-energy systems with a nominal output of up to 800 MW.

"In this way, we have again proven our outstanding expertise and are the first German wind-farm developer to have received approvals for three offshore projects", explains the head of the PNE offshore area, general agent Thorsten Fastenau.

But the path to the approval was not easy. The first thoughts for the planning of "Gode Wind II" were as early as 2004. Military claims to use of the area in planning were only eliminated after time-consuming discussions, in which, amongst others, the German Members of Parliament Annette Faße and Enak Ferlemann committed themselves for the offshore plans.

In May 2007, the application for approval was presented to BSH as the competent approval authority. Parallel to this, the necessary extensive examinations on the ecology, on the building foundation and on the safety of shipping were carried out. The results were presented to the approval authority in November 2008.

The amendment of the Renewable Energies Act which came into force at the start of 2009, has improved the remuneration regulation for energy from German offshore wind-farms to an international level. "Thus, investments in German offshore wind-farms have become distinctly more attractive and also profitable in the long term for foreign investors", emphasized the Chairman of the Board of PNE Wind Martin Billhardt.