Owned by Parkwind and Sumitomo, the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm is scheduled to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2020
Image: The offshore high voltage substation for the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm. Photo: courtesy of Parkwind.
Parkwind said that the offshore high voltage substation (OHVS) for its 219MW Northwester 2 offshore wind farm has been installed at its final location in the Belgian waters of the North Sea.
The company said that the OHVS topside’s design, fabrication, electrical and mechanical outfitting and installation were all wrapped up in 16 months.
Denmark-based contractor Bladt Industries undertook the design, fabrication, construction and installation of the OHVS topside. According to Parkwind, sub-contractor collaboration between designers ISC, outfitters Semco Maritime, and manufacturers MPG made sure that the project timings were adhered to.
Bladt Industries senior project manager Per Emil Larsen said: “With the installation of the Northwester 2 OSS, we can look back on yet another successful project completed in close cooperation with the client Parkwind and our lead sub-suppliers Semco Maritime and ISC Engineering.”
The OHVS topside sailed from the Ostend harbour earlier this week and was installed by the crane vessel Gulliver owned by Scaldis on the monopile foundation in the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm.
Parkwind project director Peter Caluwaerts said: “I would like to thank our teams and suppliers that were involved in achieving this important milestone for the project. The OHVS installation is a result of rigorous planning, agility and hard work from everyone.”
Weighing 962 tonnes, the topside will now receive the electricity cables that will be transmitting the clean energy generated by Northwester 2’s wind turbines. The OHVS will be connected to the offshore switch yard of Elia from where the power will be transported to shore.
Details of the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm
The Northwester 2 offshore wind farm, which is currently under construction, is due to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2020. The Belgian offshore wind farm will be equipped with 23 Vestas 9.5MW V164 turbines which can meet the power consumption needs of around 230,000 households.
Jan de Nul, a Luxembourg-based construction engineering company, has been providing engineering, procurement, construction and installation services for Northwester 2. The company’s primary responsibility is for the fabrication and installation of foundations and for installation of the wind turbines.
In late July, the first foundation of the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm was installed by the Vole au vent jack-up installation vessel.
Parkwind jointly owns the Belgian offshore wind project with Japanese industrial group Sumitomo, with stakes of 70% and 30%, respectively.