MHI Vestas to Test Giant Wind Turbine Nacelles at LORC

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind will use Lindø Offshore Renewables Center’s (LORC) new wind turbine nacelle testing facility to carry out a significant portion of their future testing and validation activities.

Once operational in early 2021, the testing facility will be able to accommodate nacelles with a capacity of up to 22MW, LORC said, adding that the new facility is reaching out to the industry segment for the largest offshore wind turbines, which are expected to be introduced on the market sometime between 2022-2028.

“The test center at Lindø is in a class of its own and opens up the opportunity to set a brand new standard in offshore wind power,” said Torben Hvid Larsen, CTO at MHI Vestas Offshore Wind.

”The new test center ensures that our most innovative work will be tested in Denmark – the birthplace of offshore wind power. This is yet another project that reaffirms our commitment to ensure that Denmark retains its leading position in offshore wind and the development of highly skilled, green energy jobs throughout the country.” 

Construction work on the testing facility’s foundation started over the summer. The foundation is expected to be completed in February of 2020, after which a 2,250m2 test hall will be built with a span of over 22 metres from floor to ceiling, LORC said.

The construction of the test center has been made possible through a collaborative funding initiative between the Danish Green Investment Fund, the Danish state’s investment fund (Vækstfonden), EKF-Denmark’s Export Credit Agency, and Nordea, as well as the support of both the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities.

LORC is a non-profit commercial foundation established in 2009 by A.P. Møller – Mærsk, Siemens Gamesa, Ørsted, Vattenfall, Vestas Wind Systems, Wave Star and the University of Southern Denmark.

Its objective is to promote innovation in the offshore renewable energy sector contributing to the lowering of the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) and making renewable energy viable offshore.