Swiss wind power specialist ABB has won a $125m order to connect a coastal Belgian wind farm to the mainland grid.
The renewable energy company will connect a wind farm that is 30 kilometres off the Belgian coast to the mainland grid following an order plane by Belgian company C-Power NV.
By connecting to the European grid, the service of the wind farm will be expanded and is expected to begin service in 2013, generating 1,000 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.The wind farm is expected to avoid CO2 emissions of 450,000 tons per year compared to the most efficient gas-powered power plants.
Energy for 600,000 people
The amount of energy produced should cater to the needs of 600,000 people, according to ABB.
Peter Leupp, head of ABB power system division, described linking to the grid as a “key component” amid a growing need for energy.
“Linking renewable energy sources to the grid is a key component in the effort to balance the growing need for electricity with climate change concerns,” said Leupp.
“ABB has the technologies, domain competence and experience to support customers like C-Power in achieving these goals.”
Expansion
The transmission link is part of an expansion of the Thornton Bank wind farm. In the first phase of its development, six wind turbines with a capacity of 30 megawatts (MW) were built and temporarily connected to the mainland by ABB. The second and third phases of the project involve adding 48 wind turbines to the wind farm and permanently connecting all three phases, taking its overall capacity to 325 MW.
ABB is the leading supplier to the wind power industry of electrical products and solutions.
