Windpark Fryslân Completes Financial Picture

Windpark Fryslân has achieved the financial close for the 382.7 MW Windpark Fryslân nearshore wind farm in the IJsselmeer, the Netherlands.

Ten banks and the province of Fryslân are jointly financing Windpark Fryslân, which is being built south of the Afsluitdijk, six kilometers off the Frisian coast.

The nearshore wind farm is being built by Zuiderzeewind, a consortium of Van Oord and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. The preparatory work has already begun. Windpark Fryslân is the world’s largest offshore wind farm to be built in a lake.

”We are proud to be able to realize a windpark that contributes over 70% to the Frisian objective for sustainable energy, supplies sufficient energy for all Frisian households,” Anne de Groot, project director of Windpark Fryslân, said.

The wind farm comprises 89 Siemens Gamesa turbines of 4.3MW, which are placed in a cluster form.

The preparatory work has already begun. At the end of last year, Van Oord started soil investigations and in March ducts were installed at Breezanddijk for power cables that connect the wind turbines to the transformer station. In the meantime, the construction of the transformer station on Breezanddijk has also started, as well as the installation of the power cables on the Afsluitdijk.

Following the expected commissioning in 2021, Siemens Gamesa will be responsible for the maintenance of the wind farm for a period of 16 years. Eneco purchased all the power generated at the nearshore wind farm for a period of 15 years.