Vestas is to supply turbines for the 322MW Zeewolde wind farm repowering project in the Netherlands.
Vestas and Rabobank have signed the contracts for 83 turbines and financing for Windpark Zeewolde, which is cooperatively owned by more than 200 local farmers, residents and entrepreneurs.
Turbine deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2021 and the wind farm will be completed in 2022.
Repowered, Zeewolde will be the largest onshore wind farm in the Netherlands and the largest community-owned wind farm in Europe.
The project is located on the outskirts of Zeewolde, close to the IJsselmeer, across a 300 square km area.
The wind park consists of more than 200 turbines that will be replaced by the Vestas units.
Vestas has developed a “customised solution” for Zeewolde, comprising a mix of turbine variants from the 2MW and 4MW platforms and will service the turbines for 20 years.
Rabobank is arranging the financing, in the region of €500m, for the repowering project.
Windpark Zeewolde managing director Sjoerd Sieburgh Sjoerdsma said: “We are convinced that we have signed strong partners with Vestas and Rabobank with whom we can now realise the wind farm construction quickly and efficiently.
“In October 2019 we already started with the construction of the substation and the wind farm infrastructure.
“This was based on the financing from our community showing the confidence and entrepreneurial spirit of our community. Now, with Vestas and Rabobank we can start the construction of the turbines.”
Vestas northern and central Europe president Nils de Baar said: “I’m excited that our new customer Windpark Zeewolde chose Vestas as partner for such a unique wind energy project in my home country.
“It marks a great step for the renewable power supply of the region, and we are looking forward to, together with our partners, repowering Europe’s largest community owned wind farm that is also the Netherlands’ largest onshore wind project.”
Rabobank project finance executive director Pieter Plantinga said: “Financing a wind farm of this magnitude requires months of effort from everyone involved. But it is worth it, because this is a crucial step in achieving the goals of the Dutch Climate Agreement.
“Enabling the local community to profit from the revenues of park Zeewolde is a big plus and suits us as a cooperative bank.”