Windpark Zeewolde B.V., Vestas and Rabobank have closed contracts for wind turbines and financing for the Windpark Zeewolde project in the Netherlands.
Windpark Zeewolde B.V. is a unique collaboration of more than 200 local farmers, residents and entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. It has placed an order for 83 Vestas wind turbines, in ratings from 2 MW to 4 MW, totalling 322 MW for the wind project Zeewolde. The project is in the outskirts of Zeewolde, close to the IJsselmeer, on an area that covers over 300 square km.
The wind park currently consists of more than 200 turbines which will be replaced by new Vestas units generating almost three times more energy with less than half the number of WTGs, reflecting the advances in turbine efficiency over recent decades.
Financing of the windfarm will be arranged by Rabobank which will provide both the junior debt and a senior debt loan (approximately EUR 500m). Rabobank was keen to support the project, owing to its co-operative structure comprising a large client base of the bank in addition to supporting the energy transition.
Vestas has developed a customised solution, a mix of turbine variants from the 2 MW and 4 MW platforms; and a 20-year ‘Active Output Management’ (AOM5000) service contract, capable of maximising the annual energy production while meeting local restrictions.
Sjoerd Sieburgh Sjoerdsma, md of Windpark Zeewolde BV commented: “In October 2019 we started construction of the substation and the wind farm infrastructure. This was based on the financing from our community … now, with Vestas and Rabobank, we can start the construction of the turbines”.
“We are looking forward to repowering Europe’s largest community owned wind farm that is also Netherlands’ largest onshore wind project”, says Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe. “Leveraging customised wind energy solutions with the lowest levelised cost of energy, this repowering project, which more than 90 % of the nearby community is backing up as shareholders, will almost triple the annual energy production.”
Delivery of the wind turbines is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021 with completion of the entire park scheduled for 2022.
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