The Dutch energy company, Eneco has confirmed the Danish firm, Vestas, to supply wind turbines in a 129MW supply deal for a wind project off the Dutch North Sea coast. Eneco is one of the biggest energy suppliers in the Netherlands, providing electricity, gas and heat to more than two million customers, both business and domestic. In 2009, Eneco was awarded an exclusive right to develop 200MW in block Q10 in Dutch territorial waters of the North Sea.
Vestas will supply 43 V112 3MW turbines (picture above). Construction will commence in 2013 with completion set for the following year.
Eneco said it hoped to expand the project to 150MW, by replacing seven of the turbines with next-generation 6MW machines. It had received a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation to complete the €400-450 million budget.
The Q10 wind farm is located 17 kilometers south of the existing Q7 Princess Amalia Wind Farm (left). It will be at the same 23 km distance from the coast and at a similar water depth (20-25 meters). The 200MW planned capacity will be sufficient to supply electricity for over 150,000 households.
Eneco’s Energy Division Director Ton Meijer says “Not only is the Q10 location relatively favorable (water depth, distance from the coast), but it is also very similar to that of the Princess Amalia Wind Farm. This allows us to directly apply the knowledge and experience gained with that wind farm to Q10 and therefore construct a new offshore wind farm in a relatively short period of time.”
Facts & figures
| Number of turbines | 43 turbines 43x3megawatts or 36×3 megawatts+7×6 megawatts |
| Capacity | 129 or 150 megawatts |
| Number of households | at least 135,000 or 150,000 |
| Location | 23 km off the coast of Noordwijk, 17 km south of the Prinses Amalia Wind Farm |
| The depth of drain | 18 – 24 meters |
| Investment amount | 400 to 450 million euros |
| SDE grant | up to 989 million euros, period 2014-2029 |
| Construction period | 2013-2014 |
The Q10 is part of the Dutch government’s goal to have 6,000MW of offshore wind energy operational by 2020 in the Dutch part of the Continental Shelf of the North Sea. They have mapped out sites for 65 wind farms in the North Sea. The sites are in shallow water, far enough from shore to be unobtrusive and to reduce the risk of catching birds in their blades.
Similar-sized projects are planned for Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and the United States.
