Wind farm Q7 was officially opened yesterday and has been given the name Prinses Amalia Windpark. This was the first offshore wind farm project for Van Oord as management contractor. Van Oord handled the design, the construction and the laying of the foundations, as well as the electricity system.
This wind park includes 60 wind turbines located approximately 23 kilometres from the shoreline at IJmuiden, which was a world record for offshore wind farms when the construction work commenced. The wind turbines have a single-pile footing of 50 metres in length. In 2006, the first pile of 25 metres was driven into the sea bed. Transition sections were placed on the piles on which 50-metre high masts were mounted. The turbines, with a span of 80 metres, supplied the first electricity in December 2007. In the case of favourable wind, the turbines supply 120 megawatt – enough current for 125,000 households. The construction took 20 months.
The Belwind project off the Belgian coast is the next project in which Van Oord will be involved with project partner Evelop (from Econcern). Work is scheduled to start this year and the first electricity will be supplied in 2010. Three projects – Godewind, OWP West and Albatros – will also be implemented off the German coast in collaboration with Evelop.
