REpower Systems SE and Belgian offshore energy developer C-Power NV have installed a 6.15 MW offshore wind turbine 28 km off the port of Oostende in Belgium.
The turbine is the first of 48 REpower 6M wind turbines to be constructed for phases two and three of the Thornton Bank offshore wind farm. The rotor star was connected to the nacelle by a team of C-Power and REpower engineers and the crew of Neptune, the installation vessel of GeoSea (DEME group) carrying the components for the turbine.
Now, the vessel Neptune is returning to the harbor of Oostende, where the components for the next wind turbine will be loaded. The erection teams stay at the accommodation jack-up barge Vagant, which moves from one turbine to the next, for the whole installation process. The offshore turbine REpower 6M has a diameter of 126 meters and a swept area greater than two football fields.
The installation of the first 30 turbines for phase two of the wind farm is planned for this year, and 18 more wind turbines are scheduled to be installed during a third extension stage by mid-2013.
For phases two and three of the wind farm, REpower's scope of delivery covers the production and delivery of the nacelles, towers, blades and hubs, as well as the pre-installation in the port of Oostende.
Furthermore, REpower is responsible for the installation, commissioning and the test run of the turbines, and will deliver its full service product OFS for all three stages, including the responsibility for operations and maintenance, as well as the transportation at sea, the company notes.
