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Crown Prince inaugurates first Dutch wind farm in the North Sea
The Netherlands’ cleanest power plant off to a good start
18th April 2007 - Egmond aan Zee
Today, HRH the Prince of Orange accompanied by fourteen schoolchildren from Egmond aan Zee officially inaugurated the Netherlands’s first wind farm in the North Sea. Blowing together into the special tube, the turbines started to turn, inaugurating the Netherlands’ cleanest power plant. The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm was constructed by Nuon and Shell on the initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The wind farm has actually been operational since the beginning of this year and has exhibited excellent performance to date. Thanks in part to the stormy weather of the first three months of 2007, during which there has been a great deal of wind, more than 111 million kilowatt hours of electricity have been produced. This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 33,000 households.
During the official inauguration, Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven said: ‘Due in part to its demonstration character, this wind farm is contributing to the ongoing sustainability of energy supplies. It is contributing directly by preventing the discharge of 140,000 tonnes of CO2 on a yearly basis and indirectly by the research programme designed to further our knowledge and experience, which will therefore contribute to innovation. I am convinced that without the further deployment of offshore wind energy, it will be impossible to meet the present Government’s ambitious goals for sustainable energy. We must therefore put in place the procedures for licensing and subsidies that will bring about innovation and cost reductions.’
Shell Chief Executive Jeroen van der Veer: ‘We are concentrating on finding solutions to the climate problem. Wind energy is one option here. The onus is now on us to prove as quickly as possible that offshore wind energy is a profitable business so that we continue to invest in it’
‘Projects such as this demonstrate that the further sustainability of energy supplies is actually possible,’ said Ludo van Halderen, Nuon’s Board Chairman. ‘It is a lengthy process in which the right decisions have to be made at the right time in consultation with the authorities. This will help to bring us ever closer to problem-free energy supplies.’
Facts & figures about the wind farm
The construction of the Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm has been an exemplary project from various perspectives. The construction work was executed safely and was completed on time and within budget. The project itself was also completed on time and within budget. The wind farm comprises 36 turbines with a 108 megawatt design capacity, and the volume of electricity generated by these turbines corresponds to the average annual consumption of more than 100,000 Dutch households. The project involved an investment of more than EUR 200 million. The Offshore Wind Farm is managed by NoordzeeWind, a joint venture of Nuon and Shell. It was built on the initiative of the Dutch Government. Bouwcombinatie Egmond (BCE), a joint venture of construction company Ballast Nedam and wind-turbine manufacturer Vestas, was charged with the construction of the wind farm and the everyday operational management.
For detailed information: www.noordzeewind.nl
For more information: André Romeyn +31 (0)70 377 8750
Construction has had no effects on marine life
The Netherlands’ first wind farm in the North Sea is performing well
18th April 2007 - Egmond aan Zee
The performance of the Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm, which has been in operation since the beginning of this year, has been excellent to date. Thanks in part to the stormy weather of the first three months of 2007, during which there has been a great deal of wind, more than 111 million kilowatt hours of electricity have been produced. This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 33,000 households. The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm was today officially inaugurated by HRH the Prince of Orange.
The monitoring programme is also proceeding well. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, responsible for initiating the project, has designated the wind farm as a demonstration project. The knowledge and expertise gained from the project will play a part in developing new projects with greater efficiency and savings. Technical knowledge as well as the effects on nature and the environment are being charted. The noise generated by the pile-driving during construction, for example, has had no lasting effect on marine life above or below the surface of the water. Ecological studies will also be conducted during the years to come into the effects on nature and the environment. Eight underwater microphones pick up the audible signals from porpoises, measuring the movements of these marine mammals. Transmitters have been fitted to twelve seals to monitor their behaviour, and soil samples have been taken from eighty locations to establish whether and to what extent life on the sea floor is changing under the influence of the turbines. Furthermore, two radar systems have been installed in the wind farm to measure bird movements and chart the behaviour of migratory birds. Two wind turbines have been equipped with instruments for technological research, registering in detail the behaviour of the turbines themselves. This is important for the further development of offshore wind turbines.
The wind farm is a shipping exclusion zone, with the exception of research and maintenance vessels. Because fishing is prohibited in the wind farm, it is anticipated that certain species of fish will use the area as a safe haven. This effect is also being monitored.
Nuon and Shell have also undertaken to provide information to the general public. A centre providing readily accessible information to the public about the wind farm has opened in the Tourist Office in Egmond aan Zee town centre. This information centre has been a resounding success. In the days following the official inauguration of the wind farm at the beginning of April, the NoordzeeWind Infocentre had received more than twenty thousand visitors.
Wind farm
The construction of the Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm is an exemplary project in many ways. The construction work was executed safely and was completed on time and within budget. The wind farm comprises 36 turbines with a 108 megawatt design capacity, and the volume of electricity generated by these turbines corresponds to the average annual consumption of more than 100,000 Dutch households. The project involved an investment of more than EUR 200 million. The Offshore Wind Farm is managed by NoordzeeWind, a joint venture of Nuon and Shell. It was built on the initiative of the Dutch Government. Bouwcombinatie Egmond (BCE), a joint venture of construction company Ballast Nedam and wind-turbine manufacturer Vestas, was charged with the construction of the wind farm and the everyday operational management.
For detailed information: www.noordzeewind.nl
For more information: André Romeyn +31 (0)70 377 8750
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First delivery of clean electricity from North Sea to Dutch households
Amsterdam/The Hague - 5 October 2006
Households in the Netherlands have received their first kilowatt-hours of clean electricity from the North Sea. The electricity is being generated by the Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm, the first Dutch offshore wind farm. Construction work is still under way on the wind farm, but some of the turbines are already generating power. The wind farm will be extensively tested in the coming months. All 36 wind turbines have now been erected. The wind farm is expected to be fully operational at the end of this year and will supply enough renewable electricity for more than 100,000 households.
The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm is an innovative concept. For example, the turbines – with a rotor diameter of 90 metres and a capacity of 3 Megawatt – are among the biggest in the world. The V90 wind turbine manufactured by Vestas has been specially developed for offshore conditions. The wind turbines require little maintenance, are very reliable and are controlled from land. Many new technological developments have been used, so the testing phase of this wind farm will be very intensive.
Further work to complete the installation will continue until the end of this year. A protective layer of rock is being deposited on the sea bed round the foundation piles on which the turbines have been constructed. At the same time the finishing touches are being put to the electrical connection between the remaining wind turbines and the transformer substation on land in the vicinity of Wijk aan Zee.
Offshore wind energy will be one of the most important sources of renewable energy in the Netherlands. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs the sustainability target for 2020 will have to be achieved mainly through offshore wind and bio-cogeneration plants (1). The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm is a demonstration project initiated by the government and underlines the objective of the Dutch energy policy, namely to further develop wind energy. To analyse the opportunities and possibilities of this new technology, the project is linked to an extensive research programme, which aims to determine the effects in the area of technology and ecology.
Wind farm
The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm consists of 36 wind turbines with a total capacity of 108 Megawatt. These turbines can supply clean electricity to more than 100,000 Dutch households. Using the wind farm will save around 140,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year. The Project is being realised through NoordzeeWind, a joint venture between Nuon and Shell. The wind farm is being built by Bouwcombinatie Egmond, a joint venture between construction company Ballast Nedam and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.
(1) Innovatie in het energiebeleid, Ministry of Economic Affairs, April 2004
More information:
Noordzeewind, André Romeyn: +31 (0) 70 3778750
Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm: first wind turbines installed
Amsterdam/Den Haag 13th June 2006
The first four wind turbines of the Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm have been successfully installed. For each wind turbine the 55 metre tower has been installed on the yellow intermediate section resting on the 14 metre tall foundation. At the top of the tower, the nacelle with rotor and two blades was installed in a single operation. The third blade was subsequently attached to the rotor as a separate operation offshore. Installation is a relatively complex operation: in all, some 15 fitters and technicians spent 36 hours installing the first wind turbine.
Now that the first turbines have been installed, the Wind Farm is slowly taking shape. When the weather is clear, the construction work will be clearly visible in the vicinity of Egmond aan Zee and from the North Holland coast over the coming months. Two heavy lift vessels are frequently deployed simultaneously, one installing the foundations (of which 12 are already in place) and the other the towers and turbines. In IJmuiden harbour, the Wind Farm components – towers, nacelles and blades – are loaded on board boats which shuttle between the harbour and Wind Farm, accompanied by tugs.
A start was also made this week on laying and installing the power cables between the Wind Farm and the shore. A dedicated cable-laying vessel will be deployed close to the shore at Velsen, for which purpose a small part of the beach will be temporarily cordoned off.
Wind Farm
The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm comprises 36 wind turbines with a total capacity of 108 megawatts. These first four turbines are the ones closest to the coast. The others will be further offshore. These turbines can supply more than 100,000 households in the Netherlands with sustainable power. By the end of 2006 when the Wind Farm is scheduled for completion, the first electricity will be delivered to Nuon for the Dutch market. The Offshore Wind Farm project entails an investment of more than € 200 million and is being executed by NoordzeeWind, a Shell Nuon partnership. The Wind Farm is being built at the initiative of the Dutch government. Construction of the Wind Farm has been entrusted to Bouwcombinatie Egmond, a partnership of the building company Ballast Nedam and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.
More information:
Noordzeewind, André Romeyn: +31 (0) 70 3778750
Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm: start of construction
Amsterdam/Den Haag 18th April 2006
Last weekend the first foundation pile was driven for the Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm, marking the start of the offshore construction work for this wind energy project.
During the first phase 36 piles will be driven, on which the wind turbines will be installed. The construction materials will be brought to IJmuiden harbour, from where they will be shipped out by the Svanen, Ballast Nedam’s floating crane. Once the foundations have been placed, the installation of the wind turbines will be commenced. This will be done during the summer months, and the work will be completed this coming autumn. The Wind Farm is scheduled to be put into operation next winter.
Surroundings
The preparatory work in IJmuiden harbour and the installing of the foundations offshore will probably be audible for those living in the immediate vicinity when the weather is calm. In addition, the offshore work will be quite visible on clear days. The electricity cables running from the Wind Farm to the transformer station on the Corus site will be laid shortly, for which purpose excavation work will have to be carried out on the beach at Wijk aan Zee. A small part of the beach will be temporarily closed off to the public to allow this work to be done. Local residents will be kept informed of the progress of construction as well as possible.
Wind Farm
The Wind Farm off the Egmond aan Zee coast will consist of 36 wind turbines with a total capacity of 108 Megawatt. On average, the wind turbines will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 100,000 households in the Netherlands. As from the end of 2006 the Wind Farm will be supplying the first sustainable electricity to Nuon for the Dutch market. This project entails an investment of over € 200 million. The Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farm is a project of the NoordzeeWind joint venture between Shell and Nuon. Bouwcombinatie Egmond – a partnership between construction company Ballast Nedam and wind turbine manufacturers Vestas – will be carrying out the actual construction of the Wind Farm.
For more information about the Offshore Wind Farm:
Shell Media Relations, tel.: +31 (0)70 3778750
For more information about Nuon
Nuon Media Relations, spokesman David Uitdenbogaard, tel: 020 5974200
Green light for construction of first Dutch offshore wind farm
Electricity production sufficient for more than 100.000 households
31 May 2005 – The Hague/Amsterdam – Shell and Nuon signed have signed the contracts for the joint development of the Egmond aan Zee offshore wind farm. The wind farm will be built in 2006 and will be the first wind farm off the Dutch coast. Yesterday NoordzeeWind – a 50/50 joint venture between Shell and Nuon – subcontracted the construction to Bouwcombinatie Egmond, a joint venture between the Dutch offshore contracting company Ballast Nedam and the Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.
There will be 36 wind turbines with a total capacity of 108 Megawatts, located off the Dutch coast at Egmond aan Zee. Every year the wind turbines will produce enough power for more than 100,000 households in the Netherlands. The wind farm will start supplying renewable electricity, which Nuon will take for the Dutch market, from the end of 2006. More than € 200 million will be invested in the project.
An extensive research programme is linked to the project, so as to acquire know-how on offshore wind energy. The effect on both nature and the environment will be studied, as well as technical aspects such as the behaviour of the turbines and the integration into the electricity grid. This will help gain experience for the further development of offshore wind energy.
The Dutch government is supporting the project in three different ways: via the Environmental Quality of Electricity Production (MEP) scheme, via an investment subsidy under the CO2 reduction plan of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and by means of the Energy Investment Allowance (EIA) tax ruling.
“The construction of the wind farm fits in with Nuon’s policy of making the energy supply more sustainable and increasing the energy production in its core countries, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany”, said Ludo van Halderen, chairman of the Management Board of Nuon. “The Egmond aan Zee offshore wind farm offers customers in the Netherlands a new opportunity of buying home-produced renewable energy.” Construction work is scheduled to start at the end of 2005 and will consist of drilling under the beach and the dunes at Velsen to lay the electrical cables to the transformer sub-station on the Corus site. The foundation piles for the wind turbines will be driven in the spring of 2006 and then the wind turbines will be lifted into place.
Background information
| Technical specifications |
|
| Wind turbines |
36 Vestas V90 (3 MW) |
| Capacity |
108 Megawatt |
| Distance from the shore |
10 - 18 kilometres |
| Surface area of wind farm |
30 km2 |
| Foundation pile |
30 metres into the sea bed |
| Water depth |
18 metres |
| Height of tower above sea level |
70 metres |
| Maximum height incl. rotor |
115 metres |
| Diameter of rotor |
90 metres |
| Number of rotor blades |
3 |
| Electricity transport |
3 x 34 kV under-sea
medium voltage cables |
| Transformation |
conversion to 150 kV high voltage |
| Grid connection |
grid of Continuon Netbeheer |
| Start of construction |
end 2005 |
| Completion and start of production |
end 2006 |
Preparation
Preparation work has been going on project for several years. NoordzeeWind was selected by the Dutch government as its partner in July 2002, after which soil surveys and wind measurements were carried out, lasting a couple of years, and then an environmental impact report was drawn up. Additionally a number of projects have been developed to further boost nature conservation.
