Vestas will assemble 7 MW at Lindo
OFFSHORE: Vestas will assemble the nacelles for prototype and pre-series versions of their new dedicated offshore turbine, the V164-7.0 MW at Lindo. For these purposes, Vestas has signed a fixed period business lease agreement with Lindo Industrial Park.
The agreement, which takes effect on 1 January 2012, covers the lease of production buildings and production offices of almost 15,000 m2 including overhead cranes.
"Vestas is committed to supporting Denmark’s position as a leading player in the development and testing of future on- and offshore wind turbines and we see our V164-7.0 MW prototype assembly work at Lindo as yet another way for us to make that commitment tangible before we offer our products and services to the rest of the world as well”, says Ditlev Engel, President and CEO of Vestas Wind Systems
A limited amount of nacelles will be assembled in Denmark and the turbine components will be thoroughly tested at Vestas state of the art test facilities in Aarhus.
Furthermore, some of the very first V164-7.0 MW turbines will also be tested in Denmark, namely in Frederikshavn in close collaboration with DONG Energy and at the Østerild wind turbine test Centre.
As announced earlier this year, Vestas has also signed an option for land at the Port of Sheerness in the United Kingdom where they plan to build a fully integrated V164-7.0 MW manufacturing and assembly facility, provided they see early commitments and an order pipeline from their customers which justify the investment. This lease agreement with Lindo does not change the plans in that respect.
The reasons for choosing Lindo for the nacelle assembly work are several. Firstly, none of the existing Vestas production facilities in Denmark would have been suitable for this type of work as they were all fitted to handle smaller nacelles and consequently would not have been able to handle a nacelle with the size of the V164-7.0 MW.
Secondly, with a turbine of this size, and the consequent logistical and transportation challenges it represents, it is very important to have not only transport material and cranes specifically developed for this type of heavy lifting, but also harbour facilities in direct connection with the assembly activities. In that respect, Lindo Industrial Park represents an obvious choice as it offers all of the mentioned prerequisites.
A final very important aspect in choosing Denmark for prototype and pre-series work for this new turbine is the need to be close to a highly skilled workforce at Vestas existing assembly factory in Denmark and Vestas prototype technology knowhow in Vestas Technology R&D.
Source: Vestas / maritimedanmark.dk
