Bilfinger, the German engineering and services group, has been awarded a contract worth 20 million euros by the Spanish power firm Iberdrola to manufacture steel foundations and install them at the 350MW Wikinger offshore wind-power project.

This autumn, it will drive steel piles into the sea bed at selected locations in the Baltic Sea; tension and pressure tests conducted a few weeks later will help to “optimise the design and manufacture of foundations”, according to Iberdrola.

Wikinger is sited off the coast of the island of Rügen, where the water depths range between 37 and 43m. The project will cover an area of roughly 34 sq km, within which 70 5MW Areva turbines and one offshore sub-station are planned.