Vattenfall Markets 200 MW of Balancing Capacity from 416 MW Veja Mate Offshore Wind Farm

Swedish utility Vattenfall has for the first time placed balancing power from a German offshore wind farm on the market, putting forward 200MW of capacity drawn from the Veja Mate project in the North Sea.

A first for offshore wind in Germany's control energy market

The 200MW on offer is, according to the company, the largest balancing power capacity ever made available from offshore wind. The wind farm has been pre-qualified to deliver balancing power within the control area of transmission system operator TenneT TSO.

Pre-qualification is the entry ticket to Germany's balancing energy market, a market in which transmission system operators purchase capacity to correct short-term mismatches between how much electricity is generated and how much is consumed. The grid frequency must be held at 50 Hertz, and balancing power is called upon when needed to offset unexpected fluctuations.

Why sea-based wind lends itself to grid stability

Vattenfall pointed to the nature of offshore wind itself as an advantage in this role, noting that wind conditions at sea tend to be steady and predictable, giving the technology opportunities to help stabilise the grid.

Christian Sdralek, responsible for the renewable energy portfolio at Vattenfall, framed the development in broader terms. "Electricity from renewable sources is not only indispensable when it comes to combating climate change and making the energy transition a success," he said. "It can also make an important contribution to the stability of the power system. The marketing of control energy from offshore wind is a strong signal for this."

The Veja Mate project and its owners

Veja Mate sits roughly 95km northwest of the island of Borkum and consists of 67 turbines, producing enough electricity to cover the equivalent consumption of 450,000 households. Ownership rests with a consortium of Commerz Real, Ingka Group, KGAL Group and wpd invest, while Vattenfall serves as direct marketer of the electricity the farm generates.

Building out a flexibility portfolio beyond offshore wind

Balancing services are not new territory for Vattenfall. The company already supplies them through its flexible pumped storage power plants, which together hold a combined capacity of 2.7GW. "As flexible buffers, our pumped storage systems already make a central contribution to grid security and stability," Sdralek said.

The offshore wind pre-qualification is part of a wider push. Vattenfall is seeking further pre-qualifications so that additional renewable energy assets can take part in the balancing market. Among the candidates are more offshore wind farms, solar parks paired with large batteries, and battery storage systems owned by third parties.