© Visser & Smit Hanab
Visser & Smit Hanab has signed an agreement with Windmolens Groetpolder II B.V. for the engineering, construction and delivery of 2 substations and a 10.5 km cable connection. The scope of works is part of a restructuring project of the Groetpolder wind farm which has been operating since 1999.
Visser & Smit Hanab announced the news on one of its social media channels. The company said it is realising the first 16c agreement in accordance with the Dutch Electricity Act of 1998. 16c allows, certain conditions provided, for a party other than a network operator to realise the grid connection. After completion, the connection is handed over to grid operator Liander.
Groetpolder Wind Farm
In 1995, 7 agricultural entrepreneurs took the initiative to build a wind farm on adjacent grounds to the northeast of Lutjewinkel and Winkel, in the municipality of Hollandse Kroon. The wind farm was established in 1999. It comprised 19 NEG-Micon wind turbines, each with a power of 600 KW in line arrangement. These turbines have a hub height of 46 m and a rotor diameter of 43 m. Combined they have a power of 11.4 MW, good for a potential annual production of approximately 22 million kWh.
Repowering
In 2010, the initiators started making plans for new wind turbines. Initially, the plan was to replace all 19 wind turbines for 12 new, more powerful ones. The permit application for this was rejected. In the current plan, 12 of the 19 existing turbines are replaced for 6 larger turbines. These are supplied by Vestas. It concerns the V100 with a hub height of 100 m, rotor diameter of 100 m, tip height of 150 m and a power of 2.2 MW. Together they are expected to produce about 50 million kWh per year.
In mid-March this year, a start was made on dismantling and removing the components of the 12 old turbines. The first pile was driven in early May. The turbines will be built in the autumn.
The remaining 7 turbines will be replaced by 7 comparable turbines. The E44 from German turbine manufacturer Enercon was selected. These each have a capacity of 6.3 MW. Together they produce approximately 10.5 million kWh annually.
