Lindø launch for turbine prototype assembly
Vestas has announced that assembly of the prototype and pre-series versions of their new 7MW turbine will take place at Lindø in Denmark.
This brings to four the number of locations to be involved in development of their first turbine built specifically for the offshore wind market, and their largest model to date.
Vestas has signed a fixed period business lease agreement with Lindø Industrial Park, for production buildings and offices along with overhead cranes, covering an area of almost 15,000m², for assembly of the prototype and pre-series versions of its V164-7.0MW turbine.
This follows the recent announcement that the first turbines in the series will be tested at Østerrild wind turbine test centre at Fredrikshavn, in close collaboration with DONG Energy. This in turn follows the port option agreement signed with Peel Ports in March 2011, giving Vestas exclusive rights to 70ha of land at Sheerness in Kent UK for series manufacturing and assembly of the new turbine, along with vessel loading facilities.
Vestas state that the agreement with Lindø does not change their plans in respect of the requirements for early commitments, and an order pipeline from customers to justify the Sheerness investment. The UK National Infrastructure Plan 2011, part of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement, included five locations including Sheerness that will become Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering.
Vestas’ commitment to facilities in Denmark is understandable given their own, and the country’s, pre-eminence in the wind industry. They also plan to test a limited number at their own facilities at Aarhus. Manufacturing at Sheerness will involve offering products and services globally, including the potentially huge opportunities presented by UK Round 3 offshore wind farm ambitions.
The turbine nacelle weighs almost 400 tons and, at around 24m in length, none of Vestas’ existing production facilities in Denmark would have been suitable for the assembly work. All of them are configured to handle smaller models, hence the selection of Lindø. Another reason for selecting Lindø Industrial Park is the requirement for a port with heavy lifting facilities and direct links to the assembly location to meet the logistical and transportation challenges of the larger turbine. A final reason given for Vestas’ selection of Lindø is the requirement to be close to the skilled workforce at their existing assembly factory and prototype technology knowledge based at Vestas Technology R&D.
Commenting on the agreement with Lindø Industrial Park, Anders Søe-Jensen, president of Vestas Offshore, talks encouragingly about prospects for the project, saying “We continue to see a great deal of interest in our new offshore turbine and are pleased to see more and more pieces of the puzzle falling into place and paving the way for the turbine to hit the market.”
By Peter Barker
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