Tuesday 1 March 2016

Northland Power Inc. has announced that the first turbine of the 600 MW Gemini offshore wind project located in the North Sea is now producing power.

Installation of the turbines will continue throughout 2016, led by the project's EPC contractor and co-owner Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors BV (Van Oord) and turbine supplier Siemens. The project is expected to be completed in 2017. Energy generated will flow into the Netherlands at Eemshaven where the project connects to TenneT's high voltage grid. Electricity supplied to the grid prior to full commercial operation will generate revenue that will be used to fund a portion of the project's construction costs.

The wind farm encompasses two 34 square kilometer areas and is located 85 kilometers off the coast of Groningen in the Netherlands. Invisible from the coast, the project will generate energy in a part of the North Sea where wind speeds are among the best in the world for offshore wind power.

"To have the first turbine up and running represents another critical achievement on our first offshore construction project. This significant milestone follows construction of the electric infrastructure in 2015, and installation of the turbine foundations in only 110 days", said John Brace, CEO of Northland. "We are very pleased that the project continues to advance on budget and on schedule, and would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the Gemini team, partners, and contractors."

The project is owned by Northland Power (60%), Siemens Financial Services (20%), Van Oord (10%) and N.V. HVC (10%). Once fully operational Gemini will generate clean and renewable energy for 1.5 million people in the Netherlands.

Source: Northland Power Inc.