Samsø Havvind Cleared to Replace Damaged Offshore Wind Turbine

Samsø Havvind A / S has received permission from the Danish Energy Agency to replace the wind turbine at the Samsø offshore wind farm which was damaged in an accident in November 2015.

The permit is valid for one year from the date of the issuing, the agency said. It allows Samsø Havvind to remove the damaged wind turbine and replace it with a new one.

The Danish Energy Agency carried out an EIA screening of the project and decided that it is not subject to EIA requirements or requirements for impact assessment regarding international nature conservation areas as well as protection of certain species. It is estimated that, due to its nature and dimensions, the project will not significantly affect the environment.

The agency’s decision can be appealed in writing to the Energy Appeals Board four weeks after the decision to grant this permission was publicly announced. The deadline expires on 28 September 2017.

The 23MW Samsø offshore wind farm at Paludans Flak has been in operation since 2003. Subsequent investigation on the accident revealed that the turbine broke off and fell into the sea due to a fracture in the welding that connects the tower top flange with the tower.

With the fracture developing over time, the tower top flange ultimately separated from the rest of the tower.

No cracks were found on the nine remaining turbines and there was no evidence that the Samsø incident is related to a generic design or production defect.