ESSEN, Germany, June 27 (UPI) -- The first foundation for an offshore wind farm that could generate enough power for 140,000 homes was installed off the Belgian coast, an energy company said.
German energy company RWE Innogy announced that the first foundation for the second phase of the Thornton Bank wind farm was installed off the coast of Belgium.
Martin Skiba, head of wind power at the energy company, said the offshore project is proceeding as scheduled. Engineering will start installing the wiring for the wind turbines in the coming weeks, he added.
The wind farm will be situated about 18 miles off the Belgian coast. Installation of the wind turbines begins next year and beginning in 2013, the project will start generating enough electricity to meet the demands of 130,000 homes.
The first construction phase started in 2009.
The wind farm, the company said, is the largest project financed offshore wind project in Europe. Eight commercial banks for providing around $1.28 billion in funding.
