EIB consortium funds Dutch wind farm

The European Investment Bank (EIB), along with German banks KfW IPEX-Bank and Rabobank, are to provide financing of €260 million to NOP Agrowind for the construction of 26 new wind turbines in the existing Windpark Noordoostpolder.

Once complete, the Windpark Noordoostpolder will have 86 turbines in operation, making it the largest wind farm in the Netherlands with a total power output of 195MW.

The total investment for the project is €420 million. Each turbine has a tower height of 135m, a rotor diameter of 127m and an installed capacity of 7.5MW.

The NOP Agrowind project started in 1994. The construction process for the next 26 turbines started in early 2013, with infrastructure works for roads and hardstands.

Piles have already been driven for the majority of the wind turbines and the first turbine is planned to start generating power as of September 2014. The project is expected to be completed in 2016.