Siemens to support Wind aan de Stroom project in Belgium

Siemens Energy has been awarded a contract to supply 11 3MW direct-drive wind turbines for the first phase of the Wind aan de Stroom project, marking the company’s first wind contract in Belgium.

Located on the left bank of the Schelde River in Antwerp harbor, the project is being developed by a partnership between Gemeentelijk Havenbedrijf Antwerpen, Maatschappij Linkerscheldeoever and GEHA.

Siemens Wind Power CEO Onshore Jan Kjaersgaard said: "One of the challenges of the project is the installation of the turbines on tight sites in the port due to a high density of industrial and harbor operations."

"Our D3 direct-drive wind turbines ordered for Wind aan de Stroom match these preconditions due to their compact design and low weight," Kjaersgaard added.

The contract scope also includes a 15-year service and maintenance agreement.

The turbines will be mounted on 115m towers and 10 of them will be fitted with 113m rotors, while one turbine will be equipped with a 101m rotor.

Wind aan de Stroom CEO Giovanni Vercammen said, "We have estimated that Siemens’ proposition was the one which matched our requirements best in terms of safety, production and price."

The turbine deliveries are slated in early 2015 followed by installation planned for the summer 2015.

The plant will be integrated in a smart grid being developed as part of a pilot project with the Belgian distribution system operator Eandis.

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Image: Wind aan de Stroom wind power plant will feature SWT-3.0-113 turbines. Photo: Courtesy of Siemens AG.