Thorntonbank Wind Farm
Encyclopedia
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Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
, 28 km (17.4 mi) off the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
coast, in water ranging from 12 to 27 m (39.4 to 88.6 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.
First phase
The first phase was built by C-Power and consists of six REpowerREpower
REpower is a German wind turbine company founded in 2001, purchased December 2009 by Suzlon Energy Ltd. Its product range comprises several types of turbines with rated outputs of between 1.5 and 6 megawatts. It created the 5M, in 2005....
offshore wind turbines of 5 MW capacity on the Thornton sandbank, at a cost of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
153 million. It was commissioned
Project commissioning
Project commissioning is the process of assuring that all systems and components of a building or industrial plant are designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained according to the operational requirements of the owner or final client...
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
REpower
REpower is a German wind turbine company founded in 2001, purchased December 2009 by Suzlon Energy Ltd. Its product range comprises several types of turbines with rated outputs of between 1.5 and 6 megawatts. It created the 5M, in 2005....
5M turbines, which were installed on concrete gravity foundations
Gravity base structure
A gravity-based structure is a support structure held in place by gravity. A common application for a GBS is an offshore oil platform. These structures are often constructed in fjords since their protected area and sufficient depth are very desirable for construction...
, 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.
Second phase
In this phase 24 additional wind turbines of 6.15MWp will be installed to raise capacity a further 147.6 MW, bringing the total installed capacity up to almost 180 MW.Third phase
In the third and last phase, a further 150 MW will be installed, bringing the total capacity to around 325 MW.Environmental assessment
To assess the environmental impactEnvironmental effects of wind power
Compared to the environmental impact of traditional energy sources, the environmental impact of wind power is relatively minor. Wind power consumes no fuel, and emits no air pollution, unlike fossil fuel power sources. The energy consumed to manufacture and transport the materials used to build a...
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 impact of a wind farm on them.
How the Wind Farms impact on the landscape will be studied by WES-Onderzoek & Advies, who were also involved in earlier research in connection with the perceived impact on the landscape of near shore wind farms.
Offshore wind farms may have an impact on sea fishing. Certain areas may be closed to commercial fishing, as a result of which the total area that can be fished is reduced, but new habitats
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
may also be created as a result. The basis for this study is a thorough investigation of the importance of the Thornton Bank for sea fishing.
Offshore wind farms create new structures at sea and by definition they therefore pose an additional risk to the safety of shipping. C-Power has, however, chosen a location which is a long way from the most important shipping routes so that this risk can be reduced to a minimum. C-Power will be calling upon the specialised knowledge of German consultants Germanischer Lloyd
Germanischer Lloyd
The Germanischer Lloyd SE is a classification society based in the city of Hamburg, Germany. As a technical supervisory organization Germanischer Lloyd conducts safety surveys on more than 7,000 ships with over 100 Mio GT...
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See also
- Energy in BelgiumEnergy in BelgiumEnergy in Belgium describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Belgium. Energy policy of Belgium will describe the politics of Belgium related to energy more in detail. Electricity sector in Belgium is the main article of electricity in Belgium.The Kingdom of Belgium...
- List of wind farms
- List of offshore wind farms