North Sea wind park brings the Netherlands and the European Union closer to achieving goals for a more sustainable future.

Tuesday 24th August the last of Gemini’s 150 turbines was installed. With this milestone, the offshore wind park is one step closer to delivering sustainable energy to 1.5 million people in the Netherlands.

Starting February, installation ships Aeolus (owned by Van Oord) and Pacific Osprey (owned by Swire Blue Ocean) have installed all 150 4.0 MW Siemens-built wind turbines in the North Sea. Over the next several months, all turbines will be connected and thoroughly tested. The offshore wind park will be fully operational in 2017.

“The installation of the 150th and last turbine in the wind park is a magnificent achievement,” Matthias Haag says, CEO of Gemini. “After the successful installation of the foundations, the offshore high voltage stations and 210 kilometers of export cables by Van Oord, also the turbine installation went according to plan. We are proud of everyone that contributed to the safe construction of Gemini.”

Once operational, Gemini will generate 600 MW, meeting the annual energy needs of one and a half million people and reducing the annual CO2 emissions of the Netherlands by 1.25 million tons. Gemini will therefore play an important role in achieving the Netherlands’ and European Union’s sustainable energy goals.

Contractors Van Oord and Siemens were responsible for the installation of the turbines:

“Installation of the turbines was seamless,” reflects Didi te Gussinklo Ohmann, Project Director, Van Oord. “We were very pleased with the collaboration between all partners over the last year. We proudly reflect upon successful completion of a large and complex project that is contributing to the development and competitiveness of the offshore industry.”

“Construction of the wind park continues to proceed according to plan,” says David Molenaar, division director of Siemens Wind Power Netherlands. “We are very happy with this achievement. The turbines were transferred directly from the Esbjerg, Denmark harbor to the wind park in the North Sea. Looking ahead, once the project is operational, Siemens will be responsible for maintenance of the park over the next 15 years, utilizing mainly Dutch mechanics.”

Wim van Lieshout, General Manager of wastes and energy company HVC is pleased with achieving this milestone: “The green energy that will be produced will greatly contribute to the sustainability of our 52 shareholder governments and water authorities.”

Majority shareholder and project partner Northland Power:
“Today’s announcement represents another momentous achievement on this project,” noted John Brace, CEO of Northland Power. “We are very proud of the project team for their great work. It is meaningful to all of us to see all 150 wind turbines standing, and to know that Gemini is one step closer to helping the Netherlands transition to a more sustainable future.”

Gemini is one of the largest wind parks in the world, in size as well as production. With a capacity of 600 MW, Gemini will produce enough sustainable power to meet the energy needs of Amsterdam and Rotterdam combined. The wind park is located in the North Sea, 85 kilometers from the coast of Groningen, in an area where wind speeds are among the highest and most constant in the world.

About Gemini
With a total capacity of 600MW, Gemini is set to be one of the world’s largest offshore wind parks in the Dutch North Sea, both in size and in production. Four project partners have joined forces to make Gemini a reality: Canadian independent sustainable energy company Northland Power (60% project interest), wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Wind Power (20%), Dutch marine contractor Van Oord (10%) and renewable energy, waste and raw materials company HVC (10%).