As the pioneers of offshore wind Vestas once again makes its mark on the industry by opening a record three offshore wind farms in one year. 2010 has brought along the installation and commissioning of Robin Rigg, Thanet and most recently Bligh Bank off the coast of Belgium.
The completion of installation of 645MW in one year underlines the fact that Vestas is strongly committed to the offshore wind industry. With offshore wind still early on the learning curve it is represented by a number of records and industry firsts and as one of the major players in this industry Vestas is pleased to have been directly involved with many of these, including the construction of 100 turbines at Thanet in less than 100 days.
As President of Vestas Offshore Anders Søe-Jensen states:“What we have achieved this year has never been done before. Successful project execution is a skill that takes experience and we have shown the way for the future and our expectations towards the market are high. The close dialogue we have with interested customers about not least the V112 3.0MW sends a strong signal that this is only the beginning and we continuously strive to help our customers make the most of the vast potential that offshore wind represents”.
Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel has been invited to address the guests at today’s Bligh Bank official opening in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Besides taking the opportunity to congratulate Belwind and the Belgian people with their new offshore wind farm capable of providing enough electricity to power 175.000 Belgian households, he will also remind the guests about Vestas’ continued focus on lowering the cost of energy:
“Europe cannot meet its 2020 targets for renewable energy without the utilisation of both on- and offshore wind, so now is indeed a defining moment. And we cannot and must not let the financial crisis or a lacking energy infrastructure become a barrier in fulfilling Europe’s goals. Lowering the cost of energy is essential, and to do so we need to build offshore where the best wind resources are. We need to make ever more efficient turbines and we need to continuously improve our installation methods and operations and maintenance practices. With the progress made by Vestas this year I believe we are well on the right track,” concludes Ditlev Engel.