Q7 is the Netherlands’ first off-shore wind park outside of the territorial zone (twelve nautical miles). It supplies enough electricity for 125.000 homes. Construction started 23 km off the coast of IJmuiden, 30 km from Amsterdam, at the end of 2006. Engineers installed 60 wind turbines, each with an output of two megawatts, with gaps of 550 m between each turbine and in depths of around 19 to 24 meters. ABB supplied the sea cables for connecting the off-shore platform to the power grid on the main land, along with the basic equipment for the off-shore transformer station.
When it came to finding contact technology for the transformer and switching stations that could be used out at sea, the team invested in a size 6, tried-and-tested CONNEX system by PFISTERER. With its dry, plug-in design and enclosure, the maintenance-free and salt-water-resistant system is ideal for off-shore use. When it came to installing the system, PFISTERER also provided specially trained staff, who were skilled at dealing with all the possible pitfalls of off-shore applications. The result is impressive: The Q7 wind park has been transporting 435 GWh of power along 170kV sea cables and into the Dutch power grid since 2008.