The Thorntonbank Wind Farm (also known as C-Power) is an offshore wind farm, 30km (19mi) off the Belgian coast, in water ranging from 12 to 27 metres (39 to 89ft) deep. It is the first offshore wind farm in Belgium. Contact online >>
The Thorntonbank Wind Farm (also known as C-Power) is an offshore wind farm, 30km (19mi) off the Belgian coast, in water ranging from 12 to 27 metres (39 to 89ft) deep. It is the first offshore wind farm in Belgium.
Electricity production started in early 2009, with a capacity of 30 MW.The capacity was increased to a total of 214 MW in 2012 and 325 MW in 2013.[1]
The first phase was built by C-Power and consists of six REpower offshore wind turbines of 5MW capacity on the Thornton sandbank, at a cost of €153 million.[2] It was commissioned in June 2009.[3][4] A 37km 150kV undersea cable connects the Thorntonbank Wind Farm to the shore.[5]
The first phase of what will ultimately be a 325MW wind farm was completed in September 2008. The six REpower 5MW 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.[6] 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.[7][8]
In these phases, a total of 48 additional wind turbines of 6.15MWp were installed.[9]
Phase 2, completed in October 2012, comprises the installation of 30 of the 48 wind turbines.[1] These wind turbines have been installed on steel jacket foundations designed by OWEC Tower AS and assembled at the Smulders shipyard in Hoboken.[10]
In the third and last phase, completed in September 2013, the remaining 18 wind turbines were installed, bringing the total capacity to around 325MW.[1][11]
To assess the environmental impact C-Power has enlisted the assistance of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO[12]) and the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO [13]) 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.[14]
How the Wind Farms affect 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.[14]
Offshore wind farms may affect 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 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.[14]
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.[14]
Thorntonbank was only the second offshore wind farm to be project financed.[15]
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Backed by a strong consortium of both Belgian and international shareholders, C-Power NV was founded to develop and operate the first offshore wind farm within the Thornton Bank concession area in the North Sea. The company''s Belgian shareholders are comprosed of DEMA, S.R.I.W Environment, Socofe and Z-Kracht, with Nuhma NV acting as a reference shareholder. Additionally C-Power is further supported by RWE, EDF and Marguerite. This combination of industrial, financial and public shareholders represents a key strength in the development of the Thornton Bank wind farm. Indeed the shareholders provide deep industrial know-how in the energy sector in general and in the offshore wind sector in particular, a strong creditworthiness and wellestablished knowledge of the Belgian market.
By September 2013 Thornton Bank reached its full capacity, allowing it to provide energy to 600,000 inhabitants each year. Commenting on the project CEO Jaak Rutten said: "It is a project to be really proud of, carried out with tremendous enthusiasm and skill, at times achieving innovative solutions, accomplished by breaking new ground and staying the course. It is a feather in the cap of our workers and partners, who pulled off a difficult feat without incident to speak of, on time and within budget."
Services: Offshore wind farm development and management
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Yesterday, the Belgian Prime Minister Elio di Rupo officially inaugurated the Thornton Bank offshore wind farm.
With a capacity of 325 megawatts (MW), the wind farm is the largest in the Belgian North Sea and will provide green electricity to 300,000 households each year. Eight European banks, the German and Danish export credit agencies and the European Investment Bank have provided around € 900 million in financing and venture capital. The total investment amounts to approx. € 1.3 billion. RWE Innogy is the largest private shareholder in Thornton Bank wind farm with a share of 26.7%.
Dr. Hans Bünting, CEO of RWE Innogy, stated: “At the present time, the Thornton Bank offshore wind farm is unique throughout Europe in many respects. Equipped with the largest offshore turbines currently available, the wind farm has been setting standards in terms of construction, network connection and operation. The implementation of the project together with partners has been trendsetting in particular. In the future, there will hardly be any companies who are able to tackle the construction of offshore wind farms on their own – such projects are just too capital-intensive. That is why for me Thornton Bank is a successful example of the energy transition in Europe.”
All in all, it took almost ten years to complete the wind farm, from the award of the first permits and concessions and the search for financial investors through to the development of technical solutions and actual construction. “During all these years, C-Power and all its partners performed pioneering work resulting today in an offshore wind energy farm that has become a worldwide reference,” said Jaak Rutten, CEO of C-Power, the consortium that developed and realised the Thornton Bank offshore wind farm.
The 54 wind turbines of the Thornton Bank wind farm are situated some 30 kilometres off the coast of Belgium in waters up to 30 metres deep. Construction of Thornton Bank was executed in three phases. During the first phase, six wind turbines of the 5-megawatt class were built on gravity-based foundations. Thornton Bank 1 was commissioned as early as 2009. Thornton Bank 2 consists of 24 wind turbines of the 6-megawatt class which were installed on steel structures, so-called jacket foundations. These turbines of the second phase were fully commissioned at the beginning of this year. The third and last phase of the wind farm development saw the installation of 24 wind turbines of the 6-megawatt class which have been generating green electricity since July of this year.
The main partners involved in the successful construction of the wind farm included the consortium THV Seawind (joint venture between Dredging International, Belgium, and Fabricom, France), the German companies REpower Systems SE and ABB as well as the port of Ostend, Belgium.
Press release, September 18, 2013; Image: C-Power N.V. Tom D’Haenens
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