Wind Farm Fryslân Reaches Financial Close

Ten banks and the province of Fryslân are jointly financing the 382.7MW Windpark Fryslân, which is being built in the Dutch IJsselmeer, south of the Afsluitdijk, six kilometers off the Frisian coast.

The near shore windpark is being built by Zuiderzeewind, a consortium of Van Oord and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

According to Van Oord, the preparatory work has already begun. Never before has such a large wind park been built in a lake in the world.

"We are proud to be able to realize a windpark that contributes over 70% to the Frisian objective for sustainable energy, supplies sufficient energy for all Frisian households," said Anne de Groot, project director of Windpark Fryslân.

Windpark Fryslân is being built by consortium Zuiderzeewind in the northern part of the IJsselmeer, south of the Afsluitdijk near Breezanddijk. The windpark comprises 89 Siemens Gamesa turbines of 4.3 MW, which are placed in a cluster form. It is the largest windpark in the world that is built in inland water.

The preparatory work has already begun. At the end of last year, Van Oord started soil investigations and in March ducts were installed at Breezanddijk for power cables that connect the wind turbines to the transformer station.

In the meantime, the construction of the transformer station on Breezanddijk has also started, as well as the installation of the power cables on the Afsluitdijk. Where possible, the consortium works with local Frisian partners. After completion, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is responsible for the maintenance of the wind farm for 16 years.

With a capacity of 382.7 MW, Windpark Fryslân supplies enough energy for around 500,000 households. The windpark contributes more than 70% to the Frisian target of 530.5 MW of wind energy in 2020. The windpark will be fully operational in 2021.

The construction of the windpark also includes the construction of a nature island south of the Afsluitdijk of 2 ha above water and 25 ha under water, that will add extra quality to the resting and foraging area of fish and birds.