Location |
Westermeerdijk and Zuidermeerdijk |
Number of wind turbines |
12 x 7.5 MW |
Hub height of wind turbines |
135 m |
Installed capacity |
90 MW |
Household supplied |
80,000 |
Commissioning date |
2017 |
RWE is proud to be part of Noordoostpolder – one of Europe’s largest wind farms. The wind power project with a total output of 430 megawatts consists of 86 wind turbines operated by different partners. The turbines have not only been installed just off the coast in the IJsselmeer but also on land along the coastal dike.
The RWE Zuidwester wind farm with 90 megawatts of installed capacity is part of this enormous wind power project. Twelve of what are currently the world’s most powerful onshore turbines are now turning on this site. Built by turbine manufacturer ENERCON, each of the turbines has an output of 7.5 megawatts. The rotor diameter of each of this turbines is 126 meters – twice the length of Boeing 747.
The twelve state-of-the-art turbines of the Zuidwester wind farm have replaced 50 installations dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Statistically, one of the new turbines on its own can generate as much electricity as all 50 earlier models combined. The total installed capacity of the wind farm has increased six fold from 15 to 90 megawatts; annual production has risen ten times. The new turbines have been operating at full capacity since the beginning of 2017.