ESSEN, Germany, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- European energy companies announced plans Friday for the construction of a base for operations of wind farms planned in the German North and Baltic seas.

German companies E.ON, RWE and WindMW, said Heligoland would be the first island in the German waters of the North and Baltic seas to benefit for large-scale development of offshore wind power.


Three wind farms with a combined output of 883 megawatts of power are planned for operations off the coast of Heligoland.

All three are planned for development about 18 miles off the coast of the German archipelago. Each should have a lifespan of about 20 years, RWE said in a statement.

"The example of Heligoland goes to show that offshore wind energy drives the economic development along the coast and on the islands in the 21st century," said Jorg Kuhbier, chief executive officer of the Offshore Wind Energy Foundation, in a statement.

Three service buildings are planned for the archipelago to service the find warms. The site will cover about 2 acres on the island.