Thorntonbank Wind Farm
| Thorntonbank Wind Farm | |
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Wind turbines D4 (nearest) to D1 on the Thornton Bank
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 Location of Thorntonbank Wind Farm in Belgium
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| Country | Belgium |
| Location | 28 km north off the Belgian coast |
| Coordinates | 51°32′44″N 2°55′47″E / 51.54548°N 2.92978°ECoordinates: 51°32′44″N 2°55′47″E / 51.54548°N 2.92978°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | February 2008 |
| Commission date | 18 September 2013 |
| Construction cost | € 1.3 billion |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Off-shore |
| Max. water depth | 27 m |
| Distance from shore | 30 km |
| Hub height | 95m |
| Rotor diameter | 126 m |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 54 |
| Make and model | REpower: 6 × REpower 5MW, 48 × REpower 6.15MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 325 MW |
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Website http://www.c-power.be/ |
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The Thorntonbank Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm, 30 km (19 mi) off the Belgian coast, in water ranging from 12 to 27 metres (39 to 89 ft) deep. Electricity production started in early 2009, with a capacity of 30 MW. The capacity is expected to be increased gradually to 300 MW in 2015.
The project is made of three phases.
The first phase was built by C-Power and consists of six REpower offshore wind turbines of 5 MW capacity on the Thornton sandbank, at a cost of €153 million. It was commissioned in June 2009. A 37 km 150 kV undersea cable connects the Thorntonbank Wind Farm to the shore.
The first phase of what will ultimately be a 325 MW wind farm was completed in September 2008. The six REpower 5 MW turbines, which were installed on concrete gravity foundations, were linked to the Belgian power grid, giving a total rated capacity of 30 MW for the first stage. The full story of the design, engineering, construction and installation of the Thorntonbank Wind Farm (first phase) is told in an illustrated book that was published in November 2010.
In these phases, a total of 48 additional wind turbines of 6.15MWp were installed.
Phase 2 comprises the installation of 30 of the 48 wind turbines. These wind turbines have been installed on steel jacket foundations designed by OWEC Tower AS and assembled at Smulders, Hoboken.
In the third and last phase, the remaining 18 wind turbines were installed, bringing the total capacity to around 325 MW.
A summary of the developing of Thornton Bank can be Found at WindEnergyUpdate on http://www.windenergyupdate.com/farshore-installation/presentations2012/102GeertDewaele.pdf
To assess the environmental impact C-Power has enlisted the assistance of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO ) and the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO ) to obtain the most detailed possible information on the occurrence of these animal species at Thornton Bank and to assess the possible effect of a wind farm on them.
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