Vattenfall has delivered first power from its 170MW Vesterhav Syd wind farm sited off the coast of Denmark close to its 180MW Vesterhav Nord scheme.
“It is a huge relief to finally deliver electricity from Vesterhav Syd. When you look at the challenges there have been throughout the process, since we won the tender in 2016 and during the construction work, we are extra proud today,” said project director for Vesterhav Syd and Nord at Vattenfall Mathilde Damsgaard.
The project’s 20 turbines were erected from July to September this year, and Vattenfall’s original plan was to simply connect the machines to the electricity grid immediately after installation.
That plan had to be changed, however, after problems with the installation of cables linking the site to the power grid on land.
Vattenfall’s contractor could not bury the wires deep enough in the seabed, but after switching the method and tool, the process is now bearing fruit.
Tough weather conditions also slowed progress.
The later connection of wind turbines means that the production of electricity in 2023 will probably be lower than expected. However, Vattenfall does not expect a loss for the park’s owners over the lifetime it said, as production and income are simply pushed forward in time. The lifetime of the scheme is first calculated from the date on which the supply of electricity begins the company added.
Making their debut in Denmark are warning lights on the projects’s turbines which are only activated if a plane approaches one of the Syd or Nord sites. Otherwise, the red lights on top of the machines will be off.
The radar-controlled lights can only be activated after the parks are fully operational, and when the necessary flight tests have been completed. Until then, the warning light on the mills will be on all the time – white during the day and red at night.
“We must be 100 percent sure that the radar-controlled light works as it should before we can activate it. We expect to be ready first in the new year. So we ask for people’s patience for a few more months,” said Damsgaard.
Ten of Vesterhav Syd’s turbines are currently producing power, with the final 10 expected to be connected within a few weeks. At the same time, Vattenfall is working hard to establish connection to the wind turbines in Vesterhav Nord. Both parks must be fully connected by the end of the year the company added.
“There are not many days left in 2023, so a full connection of Vesterhav Nord by the end of the year is a big challenge,” said Damsgaard.
“No-one has a greater interest in achieving it than us at Vattenfall, and we do everything we can.”
Whehn fully operational, Vesterhav Syd and Nord will supply electricity corresponding to the consumption of approximately 350,000 households.