Denmark: All Turbines at Anholt OWF Now Operational

Turbine number 111 at the Anholt offshore wind farm has just been connected to the grid and transmitted its first CO2-free kilowatt hour of power into the Danish mainland electricity grid. This means that the whole of the Anholt offshore wind farm is now operational.

The first turbine at Anholt was installed on Monday 3 September 2012 and exported its first power to the Danish electricity grid on 21 September 2012. Now, nine months down the line, all of the turbines at the farm are operational. However, completion of commissioning will continue throughout the summer.

Flemming Thomsen, Project Director at DONG Energy, says:

“This is a hugely important milestone for the Anholt offshore wind farm. When we tendered for the contract in 2010, we were fully aware that the task of installing the 111 turbines in the course of two winters and one summer was going to be a tough challenge, but with excellent planning and efficient project management we completed the task on schedule and within the deadlines set out in the tender conditions.”

“18 months of highly intensive offshore installation work are over. The weather in the autumn and winter was tougher than normal, so staying on track was a particularly tough challenge. All of the turbines are now operational and generating green power, and we are very proud of what we have achieved and the first-class performance of our suppliers.”

840,000 Danish co-owners
With a total of 400 MW, the offshore wind farm is Denmark’s largest, and the 111 turbines generate clean and CO2-free electricity equivalent to the total consumption of 400,000 Danish households or 4% of total Danish electricity consumption.

On 28 March 2011, PensionDanmark and PKA acquired a total stake of 50% of the Anholt offshore wind farm. As a consequence, approx. 840,000 Danes became co-owners of the offshore wind farm.

“Construction of the Anholt Offshore Wind Farm has gone really well. This confirms our assessment of DONG Energy as a global leader in this field. Our members can now look forward to many years of a stable and attractive return on our investment, and the model with DONG Energy has become a model for similar joint ventures in other parts of the world, “ said CEO Torben Pedersen Möger, PensionDanmark.

”Investments such as this not only help generate a sound return for PKA’s members, but also generate development, growth and jobs, and this is therefore an area in which we will be making a big investment. At PKA, we are proud of helping to provide green power to 400,000 Danish homes,” says PKA CEO Peter Damgaard Jensen.

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Press release, June 20, 2013; Images: DONG Energy