The national accreditation body for the Federal Republic of Germany (DAkkS) has accredited TÜV SÜD as the first certification body authorised to carry out certification of the correct marking of offshore wind turbines according to the guidelines of the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV). This expansion of TÜV SÜD's existing accreditations will enable the international provider of technical services to contribute significantly to ensuring efficient and safe nautical traffic near German offshore wind farms.

The advancement of offshore wind energy plays a major role in the success of the German energy transition. Today offshore wind farms with a total of around 1000 wind turbines and an installed capacity of around 4.7 GW are connected to the grid. TÜV SÜD is supporting this success story by offering the certification of offshore wind-farm projects for permitting by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), as well as various inspection services that ensure reliable and safe wind-turbine operation.

"The expansion of our existing accreditation means that we are now also authorised to assess compliance with the technical requirements for visual and radio-communication marking of offshore wind farms", says Alexander Heitmann, Department Manager Offshore Wind Energy at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH in Hamburg. The assessment is carried out according to the "Rahmenvorgaben zur Gewährleistung der fachgerechten Umsetzung verkehrstechnischer Auflagen im Umfeld von Offshore-Anlagen, hier: Kennzeichnung", Version 2.1 (Guidelines to Ensure the Correct Implementation of Traffic Requirements near Offshore Wind Farms: Marking, Version 2.1) of the Directorate of Waterways and Shipping of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV). This document provides basic guidance and assistance to offshore wind farm permit-holders, helping them to implement traffic-related requirements in a correct and professional manner during planning, realisation and normal operation. Periodic inspections ensure that visual and radio-communication markings function correctly in normal operation throughout the lifetime of the wind turbines.

Through this accreditation, the national German accreditation body (DAkkS) has confirmed that TÜV SÜD has the required skills and expertise to provide the essential assessment and inspection services. This makes TÜV SÜD the first certification body that is authorised to provide certification according to the WSV Guideline, Version 2.1. "The expansion of our accreditation enables us to provide designers and operators of offshore wind farms with one-stop testing and inspection solutions during both wind-farm design and operation", explains Alexander Heitmann. The synergies achieved thereby result in improved time and cost efficiency.