Northland Announces Milestone Reached on Gemini Offshore Wind Project

Northland Power, announced that the first steel foundation, or monopile, for the 600MW Gemini offshore wind project located in the North Sea, was successfully installed on schedule on July 1st, 2015. Installation activity is now progressing quickly, with 7 monopiles installed as of the issuance of this release.

The monopiles, which are being installed by the project's EPC contractor, Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors BV (Van Oord), have each been designed for their specific location in the wind farm. Depending on sea depth, the monopiles vary in length from 59 to 73 metres. They each have a diameter of approximately 7 meters, and wall thicknesses of 7 to 11 centimetres.

Once construction is complete, Gemini will be comprised of 150 wind turbines, each mounted on a monopile foundation; Siemens will supply and erect the turbines. The wind farm encompasses two 34 square kilometer areas and is located 85 kilometers off the coast of Groningen in the Netherlands. Invisible from the coast, the project will generate energy in the part of the North Sea where wind speeds are among the best in the world for offshore wind power.

"The installation of these first monopiles is a significant project milestone," said John Brace, CEO of Northland. "I am pleased to report that the project continues to progress on budget and on schedule, thanks to the work of Van Oord, the support of our Gemini partners and the great efforts of the Gemini team. We look forward to sharing future milestones as they are achieved."

The project is owned by Northland Power (60%), Siemens Financial Services (20%), Van Oord (10%) and N.V. HVC (10%). During the three-year construction period, an estimated 500 people will work on Gemini. The wind farm is expected to be fully operational by 2017, and will generate clean and renewable energy for 1.5 million people in the Netherlands.