Siemens lands mega offshore wind energy deal in the Netherlands

In the biggest deal that Siemens’ Energy Services Division has ever secured, the German company said it would supply a large contingent of wind turbines for an offshore farm off the Dutch coast and provide maintenance.

Siemens announced Thursday it had signed a contract on the delivery of 150 wind turbines to the Gemini farm off the Dutch coast.

Siemens said the deal also included a maintenance contract for 15 years, making the project worth 1.5 billion euros ($2.05 billion). Siemens mentioned the maintenance contract was the largest ever signed in the history of its Energy Services Division.

The Gemini wind farm will have a total capacity of 600 megawatt and will supply some 1.5 million people with electricity.

Siemens said it was also involved in the funding of the wind farm, with its Financial Services unit holding a 20 percent stake in the Gemini consortium. Canadian utility Northland Power was reported to have a 60 percent stake in the project.

Siemens emphasized it would have a special helicopter and service vessel in place around the clock to keep the turbines working without any major glitches.

“We will thus be able to do maintenance work in all weather conditions, including rough waters,” the company said in a statement.

The Gemini wind farm is meant to help the Netherlands meet EU targets for the use of renewables. By 2020, the country is expected to generate 14 percent of its energy from renewable sources.