Denmark: Vestas Develops Cost-Cutting Approach – Onshore Pre-Assembly of Offshore Wind Turbines

Vestas has developed an innovative approach to cut the cost of installing offshore turbines. At a new site at the port of Esbjerg, onshore pre-assembly of turbines means fewer expensive hours spent at sea. 

This will significantly reduce the cost associated with cranes and installation vessels – all contributing to lowering the cost of energy for offshore wind, explains Head of Pre-assembly for Vestas Offshore, Bo Bjerregaard. “Going forward, we want to assemble as much of our offshore projects onshore as possible,” he says.

“Nacelles arrive in Esbjerg with hub and drivetrain mounted. Before arrival they have been tested as one unit in our production facilities. At the harbour, blades also arrive in plug-and-play mode from production. The towers will arrive in two sections and then be fully assembled at the harbour and put in up-right position on the installation vessel before shipment.”

At the pre-assembly site, both nacelle and tower will be tested together before shipment to ensure a fast start-up offshore. Installation and commissioning will be a plug and play solution in order to reduce the costly offshore installation time.

The shipment for the 48 MW project Kaarehamn project is the first of several offshore project to be shipped out of Vestas’ pre-assembly facilities in Esbjerg. During 2013 and 2014 Vestas will also ship 73 V112-3.0 MW turbines to the 219 MW Humber Gateway project as well as 72 V112-3.0 MW turbines for the 216 MW Northwind Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium.

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Press release, April 25, 2013; Image: Vestas