Vattenfall builds new warehouse for wind turbines in the port of Esbjerg

The construction of a new large storage facility in the port of Esbjerg, Denmark, will begin soon, according to the Swedish energy company. The company plans to house an indoor warehouse there totalling 2,100 square metres, as well as an 8,200 m2 outdoor area. The purpose of the central warehouse is to store large components such as gearboxes, generators, transformers, shafts and rotor blades.

"From this facility in Esbjerg, most of Vattenfall's wind farms in Northern Europe will be supplied with spare parts," explains Pia Bonding, Head of Integrated Operations at Vattenfall. "The Port of Esbjerg is the right place for us to place such a warehouse due to its central location in Northern Europe and professional port operations. It will give us economies of scale instead of having to store essential large components at smaller locations in the area and is an important part of our ambition to see even more wind farms being built across Northern Europe."

Vattenfall already operates more than 1,300 onshore and offshore wind turbines in Northern Europe, spread across wind farms from northern Sweden to Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Already today, the wind farms are monitored from Vattenfall's office in Esbjerg. In the future, the city will also be the hub for the central warehouse of these wind farms.

The director of the Port of Esbjerg, Dennis Jul Pedersen, welcomes the new warehouse. He is particularly pleased because he sees it as a confirmation to create an area of 150,000 square metres in the old ferry harbour for similar projects. "Vattenfall wanted a building close to the quay. It is part of the port's strategy to be able to offer exactly these opportunities. The former ferry harbour is designed for this kind of activity," says Pedersen.

The company responsible for the construction of the warehouse is Thyborøn Invest, which already has experience from similar buildings in connection with the Kriegers Flak wind farm. It will own the building and then lease it to Vattenfall. "The port of Esbjerg is a magnet for the wind industry and we believe that it is a good and long-term investment to locate here. The large turbines will be needed for many years to come," said Anton Bro, CEO of Thyborøn Invest.