Germany flips switch on Baltic Sea's biggest wind park

German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds an toy windmill, during an event officially launching an offshore wind park in the Baltic Sea near the island Ruegen, in Sassnitz-Mukran, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Foto: Bernd Wuestneck/dpa via AP)

BERLIN – Germany has officially switched on the biggest offshore wind park in the Baltic Sea, which will supply some 400,000 households with electricity.

The Arkona facility about 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of Germany's Baltic island of Ruegen went online Tuesday. It is operated by German utility company Eon and Norwegian energy giant Equinor.

More than 40% of Germany's electricity was generated using renewable sources such as wind and solar last year. The country aims to get 65% of its electricity from renewables by 2030 as part of its effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared with 1990 levels.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said over the weekend that the government will decide by the end of the year whether to set sector-specific emissions targets or focus more on carbon pricing.