Germany's ports in Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven bet on offshore wind power

(ADPnews) - Apr 6, 2011 - The German ports of Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven are bracing themselves for an abundance of offshore wind farm projects and are currently heavily investing in equipment and infrastructure.

In the hope of achieving a turnaround by shifting its focus to offshore wind power, the north German port of Cuxhaven will invest EUR 450 million (USD 638.2m) in the construction of two new offshore terminals, in addition to the large storage area and the vast production ground already completed.

The port of Bremerhaven also seems to have achieved significant progress. In the area of the fishing harbour there are several 380-tonne turbines of the latest generation ready to be transported. Bremerhaven, however, has a problem: the lock at the old fishing harbour is too narrow, making the passage of the big ships carrying the enormous turbines impossible.

Moreover, unlike the state of Lower Saxony, which provided the Cuxhaven port with funds, Bremen is either unwilling or incapable of offering any financial help to Bremerhaven.

Both Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven, where unemployment is a major concern, hope wind energy will invigorate their regions.

Critics claim that the two ports are taking a risk that could backfire. There are still few investors, and the infrastructure is underdeveloped, with energy grids still lacking the capacity to transmit the power generated by the turbines in the open sea. In addition, nature protection organisations could prove to be a stumbling block for many projects.

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