Northwester 2 wind farm is now fully operational, producing 9.5 MW from 23 wind turbines
Just under ten months from the start of the offshore works, the 219 MW Northwester 2 wind farm is now supplying the Belgian grid with green energy from all of its 23 fully operational wind turbines, producing 9.5 MW each. This wind farm is the first to use the deploy MHI Vestas’ highest rated V164-9.5 MW turbines for commercial operation.
This is the seventh wind farm in the Belgian North Sea, and is located approximately 50km off the shore of Ostend, Belgium. It brings Belgium’s total offshore energy capacity to around 1,776 MW, moving it closer to reaching the goal of supplying 10% of energy demand with offshore wind by the end of 2020.
“As we started the offshore construction of our fourth wind farm back in July last year, we could not have imagined the circumstances under which we would be completing this project. Following the powerful storms over the winter that caused some temporary disruption, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to deal with an unprecedented level of uncertainty. We managed to keep the project on track though. Following an excellent dialogue with the Belgian government and a great collaboration with our contractors, all operating procedures were re-designed to continue the construction works, ensuring the health and safety of all people involved and safeguarding their safe return home during this COVID-19 pandemic. Today we can proudly say we did it’”, said Peter Caluwaerts, Parkwind’s Project Director.
“We are grateful to every individual that has contributed to the timely and – most importantly – safe realization of the Northwester 2 project. Everyone has demonstrated exceptional problem solving skills, courage, resilience and determination to successfully complete this project,” added Caluwaerts.
The Northwester 2project is owned by Parkwind and Summit Tailwind. The project will have a 25 year life span and is expected to supply enough electricity to power over 200,000 households. Parkwind led the project’s construction and with MHI Vestas holding a 15 year service agreement at Northwester 2to maintain the V164-9.5 MW turbines. Now that Northwester 2 is complete, Parkwind’s focus has shifted towards the Arcadis Ost 1 (Germany) and Oriel (Ireland) offshore wind farms, both in development and which will bring an additional 577 MW of capacity to its portfolio. Other opportunities in Europe, Asia and North America are under review.
Source: 4coffshore
