Large onshore order from Norway: Siemens Gamesa to supply 70 wind turbines to three projects

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) will supply three onshore wind farms in Norway including 70 units of its Onshore OptimaFlex wind turbines. The SWT-DD-130 turbines will each feature a rated capacity of 4.2 megawatts (MW) and a 130 meter diameter rotor. All turbines will be installed on steel towers with 125 meter hub heights. The project sites with 15, 18 and 37 units are located in the Bjerkreim and Ha municipalities – approximately 50 kilometers south-east of Stavanger. A 25-year full service agreement with a yield based availability warranty secures the long term performance of the wind farms.

Owner and long-term operator of the wind farm trio is Hamburg based Luxcara, a leading asset manager for renewable energy investments for institutional investors. The installation of the 76MW-Skinansfjellet project, the 63MW-Gravdal wind farm and the Eikeland-Steinsland project with over 155 megawatts – a combined rating of 294 MW and collectively known as the Bjerkreim cluster – will start in spring 2019 with completion planned for autumn 2019. “We are very happy to be able to rely on Siemens Gamesa as such an experienced partner in the Nordics for our largest wind project so far”, says Dr. Alexandra von Bernstorff, Managing Partner of Luxcara.

Siemens Gamesa is executing the projects in close collaboration with Luxcara and the Norwegian developer Norsk Vind Energi. A strong focus in this collaboration was on regional content and a minimized environmental impact during installation and operation. Construction services including groundwork and foundations are going to be commissioned by local companies. A technician team will be recruited locally to service and maintain the projects over their 25-year lifetime. All three project sites are characterised by a complex terrain. Nevertheless, earth movements to create storage and installation areas will be kept to a minimum.

“We are proud to perfectly meet the site and project specific demands of these wind farms with our highly flexible SWT-DD-130 turbines”, says Ricardo Chocarro, CEO Onshore at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. “Our technology is well suited for complex wind regimes like Norway while the experience of our regional team helps to meet all demands including challenging logistics and installation environment.”

Present in Norway since 2002, the accumulated base installed by Siemens Gamesa accounts for more than 500 MW and over 200 turbines. A further 390 MW is under installation.