At a time when climate issues are a high priority on the agenda Sund & Bælt, the owner of several infrastructure facilities in Denmark including the Great Belt Bridge between Funen and Sealand, wanted to set a greener agenda and make a contribution to the growing renewable energy market. From this agenda the concept of the Sprogø Offshore Wind Farm project was created.
The wind farm is positioned north of the island of Sprogø, Denmark parallel to the Great Belt Bridge, and shall be ready for commissioning in time before the COP15 in the beginning of December 2009.
Vestas supplied the 7 offshore 3.0 MW turbines, and A2SEA was contracted to install them.
Each turbine measures 115 meters from the surface of the sea to the top wing tip, this is less than half of the height of the tallest pylons of the bridge, which stand at an impressive 254 meters tall.
The turbine is attached to the foundation with 160 bolts. The turbines were installed in six pieces; 2 towers, 1 nacelle and 3 blades. This process took 16 hours per offshore wind turbine, and they were installed in record time. SEA ENERGY began the installation work on 7th October 2009 and despite challenging weather conditions SEA ENERGY succeeded in finishing the work on 24th October 2009. Working in co-operation with the customer Vestas, the project was delivered within the time schedule and maintained a good safety record, with zero technical downtime.
The small offshore wind farm will be a showcase for Danish wind turbine technology – both for the millions of people who cross the Great Belt Bridge each year and not least in connection with the COP15.
The seven offshore wind turbines north of Sprogø Island will generate 66 million kWh per annum, enough to cover the total energy consumption of all of Sund & Bælt’s infrastructure facilities. The turbines will compensate for the CO2-emissions caused by the motor traffic over the Great Belt Bridge. Consequently, Sund & Bælt will be one of the first infrastructure companies in Denmark whose facilities are CO2 neutral.
Sund & Bælt are always considering the environmental implications of their facilities and projects for instance, the start of the installation period was timed so that it did not disrupt the breeding season of the porpoises. In terms of the lasting environmental benefits of this project, the foundations will provide a breeding ground for algae and mussels as is the case with the bridge piers today.
The Sprogø Offshore Wind Farm will be inaugurated officially on the 4th December 2009.
Link to Sund&Bælt
