Netherlands: First turbine up at Kattenberg wind farm

The construction of the RWE Kattenberg onshore wind farm near Eindhoven in the Netherlands is running at full speed. Today the first of a total of four wind turbines was successfully installed within view of the A58 motorway. When fully commissioned in the summer, the wind farm with an installed capacity of roughly 10 megawatts will generate some 30 million kilowatt hours of green electricity a year. The facility will therefore be able to supply 8,500 Dutch households with climate-friendly energy.

“Even though I’ve been involved in many wind energy projects over the years, the installation of the first turbine always feels like something special. In this case, here in Kattenberg, that is not least because we are putting up wind turbines measuring 150 metres from tip to toe directly adjacent to the motorway,” explains Rick van Mensvoort, manager constructions at RWE International. “Everything has worked smoothly. We were able to complete the first installation in less than a week, and now another installation is to follow every week. We are also taking care of commissioning at the same time.”

Turbine installation at weekly intervals

The individual components of the wind turbines are assembled using a crane with a load capacity of up to 600 tonnes. In favourable weather conditions, the construction of a wind turbine takes roughly three days: one day for the assembly of the tower sections, another day for the installation of the nacelle and the third day to attach the three rotor blades. As a rule, it takes another three days after that to dismantle the crane and reassemble it on the crane pad at the next foundation.

Source: T. Beekmans

Turbine components of huge dimensions

Nordex117 wind turbines have a capacity of 2.4 megawatts. The steel tower alone is over 90 metres tall and consists of four elements. Its total weight is over 200 tonnes. That makes it roughly as heavy as 170 compact cars. The nacelle, including the hub, weighs approximately 100 tonnes. The three rotor blades made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic are each 58 metres long and weigh over 10 tonnes. Several night-time special transports and the setting up of two temporary motorway exits were required to deliver the components.

Source: T. Beekmans

Communities benefit from the wind farm operation

The wind farm should become fully operational in the summer. Because the wider community is intended to benefit from the wind farm, part of the revenue it generates will go to the municipalities of Oisterwijk and Oirschot in the form of an annual sustainability contribution of €15,000. This is intended to fund local sustainability projects.

RWE expands wind power portfolio in the Netherlands

RWE has solid expertise in the operation of onshore wind farms in the Netherlands, where it has an installed capacity of over 200 megawatts. Furthermore, ambitious growth targets offer good prospects for new renewable energy projects. In all, the government of the Netherlands intends to increase the share of renewable energies from 5.6% in 2014 to 14% in 2020 (so-called Energie Akkoord).
RWE is supporting the implementation of the Energie Akkoord in the Netherlands – for example, with the construction of the Zuidwester onshore wind farm. Located directly on the shores of the IJsselmeer, RWE is currently installing a total of twelve wind turbines here with an overall capacity of 90 megawatts. Turbines in the 7.5-megawatt class are being deployed, which are currently the largest onshore wind installations available worldwide. The wind farm is scheduled to begin operating in 2017 and will be able to generate enough green electricity to supply 90,000 households.

RWE is also active in the Netherlands in the offshore wind sector and plans to participate in the Dutch tendering process for offshore wind licences. Together with joint venture partners EDP Renewables and Macquarie Capital, RWE is currently preparing an offer for the first round of bidding. This involves the offshore projects Borssele I and II with a total capacity of 700 megawatts.