EnBW has started operations at the 288MW Baltic 2 offshore wind power facility in Germany.

It is the second offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea by EnbW, the first being the 48.3MW Baltic 1, which was commissioned in 2010.

Located 32km north to the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, the new facility has been developed over a two-year period.

The farm features 80 Siemens SWT-3.6-120 wind turbines that stand 138m above the water surface.

Installed across 27km², the wind farm will produce 1.2 billion kWh of electricity a year, which is enough to meet the power requirements of around 340,000 households.

EnBW CEO Frank Mastiaux said: “The commissioning of EnBW Baltic 2 is another milestone in the implementation of our EnBW 2020 strategy.

“And is further evidence that the remodelling of the energy supply system towards decentralisation and renewable energies is irreversible, not only in Germany but also around the world.

German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Parliamentary Secretary of State Uwe Beckmeyer said: “The Baltic 2 wind farm is four times as big and generates six times as much electricity as its predecessor.

“This demonstrates the opportunities offered by the industrialisation of offshore wind energy.”

These projects are part of the four offshore projects won by EnBW in 2008, expected to have a combined output of 1,200MW and are likely to involve around €3bn investment.

“Our project pipeline currently includes three other offshore wind farms in the North Sea with a total output of 1,600MW,” Mastiaux added.