Dutch wind contact for ABB

ABB has won contracts worth a total of $33 million to provide power equipment and cable connections for the Dutch offshore wind farm, Q7.

ABB will supply 24kV underwater power cables connecting 60 wind turbines to a 150kV offshore transformer station, plus a 170kV underwater power cable linking the offshore transformer station to the grid onshore.

ABB will also supply and install primary equipment in the offshore transformer station, including a 140MVA (megavolt ampere) transformer, a 150kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), and a 24kV GIS.

Q7 will be the largest wind farm in the Dutch North Sea when it commences operation in 2007, about 30 kilometres from Amsterdam. Each turbine will generate about 2MW of power, totalling about 435 GW/hours per year, enough to power roughly 140,000 homes, and reduce CO2 emissions by 255,000 tons annually.

The contract includes a study to help ensure the project complies with Dutch grid codes. The Dutch government is aiming for offshore wind power production of 6,000 megawatts (MW) by 2020.