Vestas has won an order by the SwifterwinT op Land cooperative for the 207MW onshore part of the Windplanblauw repowering project in the Netherlands that will feature some of the Danish wind turbine manufacturer’s largest machines from its EnVentus platform.

The wind park north of Amsterdam currently consists of 46 turbines of various variants and brands which will be replaced by 37 EnVentus V162-5.6MW machines with both 136.5 and 168 metre-hub heights.

“The EnVentus V162-5.6 MW is a state-of-the-art turbine that will allow us to produce a maximum yield of sustainable energy, while keeping the impact on the locality to a minimum,” SwifterwinT op Land chief executive Stephan de Clerck said.

Windplanblauw is a large onshore-offshore repowering project that also includes a 120MW offshore part in the adjacent Ijsselmeer artificial lake that will be built by a consortium including the Dutch unit of Swedish utility Vattenfall.

The onshore contracts include supply, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines. Delivery is planned to start in the first quarter of 2022, with commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of the same year and the first quarter of 2023.

“This is our first major EnVentus project in the Netherlands,” said Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.

“Once finalised, the repowered part of the project will almost quadruple its annual energy production, marking a significant step in achieving the goals of the Dutch Climate Agreement.”

SwifterwinT op Land consists of more than 170 local residents and Dutch entrepreneurs.

Italian mountain order

Vestas also said Italy's Gruppo Fera, through its Aleramo subsidiary, has placed a 20MW order for the Cairo Montenotte wind project in the the northern Italian region of Liguria.

The OEM will supply, transport, install and commission five of its V136-4.2MW turbines delivered in a 4.0MW operating mode for the project in a complex mountainous terrain, with little space to move larger rotor turbine components.

"This project will showcase how Vestas’ new generation of wind turbines can reach mountainous areas. It breaks new grounds for the development of wind energy in Italy and it can represent a significant step in the country’s transition towards a decarbonised economy”, said Vestas vice president of sales for southern Europe and Turkey, Rainer Karan.

Despite its limited size, Cairo Montenotte will become the largest wind project in Liguria, a small and mountainous region at Italy's Riviera coast.

Bella in Basilicata

In a second Italian order, the OEM received an order for one of its V136-3.45MW and fourteen of its V136-4.2MW machines from Ares for the 52MW Bella wind project in the Basilicata region.

"The long-standing reliable partnership with Vestas has made us again lean towards the services of the Danish manufacturer, to whom we have also decided to entrust the competent maintenance for 20 years," said Sole Director of Ares, Donato Macchia.

With the project, Vestas has secured 1.3GW in contracts derived from auctions in Italy.

UPDATED with detail on Italian order in Liguria, and in Basilicata

Wind

Vestas wins big repowering order in the Netherlands for EnVentus machines