Name and Location
Thornton Bank offshore wind farm project, North Sea, Belgium.

Client
C-Power, comprising THV Seawind, REpower Systems, ABB and the Port of Ostend.

Project Description
The Thornton Bank wind farm is situated about 30 km off the coast of Belgium in waters up to 30 m deep.

The first phase of the Thornton Bank (Thornton Bank 1) offshore wind farm comprises six 5 MW turbines built on gravity-based foundations and connected by 33 kV cables.

These are linked to the onshore high-voltage station through a 150 kV export cable, which is currently used at 33 kV with an onshore transformer to inject into the 36 kV grid.

Thornton Bank 2 consists of twenty-four 6 MW turbines installed on jacket foundations.

The third extension phase of Thornton Bank also consists of 24 wind turbines of the 6 MW class, installed on jacket foundations.

Thornton Bank 2 and 3 and the offshore transformer station are connected by means of 33 kV cables.

The offshore wind farm boasts an installed output of about 325 MW, capable of supplying an estimated 600 000 people with electricity a year.

Value
The project is valued at about €1.3-billion.

Eight commercial European banks, the European Investment Bank and the German and Danish export credit agencies provided an estimated €900-million in financing and venture capital.

Duration
Construction of Phase 1 started in May 2007 and was commissioned in 2009.

The construction work on Thornton Bank 2 started at the end of 2010 and the turbines were fully commissioned at the beginning of 2013.

The third phase of the project was officially inaugurated in September this year.

Latest Developments
The Thornton Bank offshore wind farm was officially inaugurated on September 17.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
C-Power, tel +32 59 79 79 80, fax +32 59 79 79 88 or email c-power@c-power.be.