The €2.8 billion Gemini offshore wind farm, located 85km from the coast of Groningen in the Netherlands, has reached a successful financial close. Mott MacDonald is lenders’ technical advisor and engineer on the project.
The 600MW wind farm will be built in the North Sea and comprises 150 Siemens turbines, each with 4MW capacity. The first offshore wind farm to deploy these turbines, it will provide sustainable energy for 785,000 households and help the Netherlands meet its national and EU targets for renewable energy generation. It will also cut CO2 emissions annually by 1,250,000 tonnes.
Mott MacDonald will provide construction and operational monitoring services as the project develops, having previously delivered due diligence which led to financial close. The consultancy provided input on important aspects of the development, such as the use of the longest pair of 220kV export cables in the world, the deployment of the new SWT4.0-130 offshore wind turbine and the use of XL monopiles in an average water depth of 35 metres.
Marios Papalexandrou, Mott MacDonald’s project manager, commented: “We reported to the lenders on technical, environmental and commercial aspects of the project, which led to the largest ever successful financial close in the wind sector. Mott MacDonald worked closely with the sponsors and lenders to reach this major achievement.”
The Gemini wind farm is expected to be fully operational in 2017.