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Just weeks after gaining building permission for its 330 MW Belwind offshore wind farm at Bligh Bank in Belgium, Evelop has appointed Denmark's Vestas as preferred turbine supplier for the project. Originally slated to comprise 66, 5 MW machines, the EUR 850 million project will now consist of 110 V90 3 MW turbines -- a model Vestas withdrew from the market early last year due to gearbox problems. The Danish firm plans to reintroduce the V90 machines, now with a new gearbox solution, as of May. "We still need to carry out a few more tests, but we are convinced that the turbine will also pass these," said Finn Strøm Madsen of Vestas Technology R&D in February. Evelop, which is using Vestas 2 MW machines for its 120 MW Q7 wind farm off the neighbouring Netherlands coast, hopes to see construction work on the Bligh Bank project start later this year. The turbines are due to be installed in two 55 unit phases, starting in 2009, with all turbines slated to be operational in early 2010.