Nissum Bredning Vind

Location

The wind farm is situated in the Nissum Bredning area, which is characterized by shallow water depths of only about three meters and challenging seabed conditions, making it inaccessible to conventional offshore wind installation vessels.

Project Overview

• The project is a 28 MW pilot initiative aimed at testing new technologies and integrated design in offshore wind energy.
• It was awarded to Nissum Brednings Vindmøllelaug I/S and Jysk Energi A/S following a tender by the Danish Energy Agency (DEA).

Ownership

• The project is owned by a consortium where Nissum Brednings Vindmøllelaug I/S holds 55% and Jysk Energi A/S holds 45%.

Turbines

• The wind farm features four Siemens SWT-7.0-154 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 7 MW and a rotor diameter of 154 meters.
• These turbines are part of Siemens' 0-series test and are equipped with B75 blades.

Foundations and Installation

• Due to the shallow waters and seabed conditions, conventional installation methods were not feasible. Instead, Mammoet used a barge with an integrated ballasting system to lower and ground the barge onto the seabed, allowing the use of a land-based LR 11350 crane for the installation.
• The project also tested Siemens' innovative gravity jacket foundation concept, which is designed to be more cost-efficient than traditional monopile foundations. This foundation type accounts for approximately 20-30% of the costs in offshore wind projects.

Electrical Infrastructure

• The wind turbines are connected using a new 66kV voltage solution, which is expected to become the standard for future offshore wind power plants. This higher voltage reduces cabling costs and energy losses.
• The project also includes cable in pipe (CIP) solutions and new transformer, cable, and switchgear systems.

Tower Design

• The project features a slender tower concept, with prototypes of a new lightweight turbine tower specifically designed for jacket foundations.

Commissioning and Operations

• The installation of the turbines began in August 2017, and the wind farm was fully commissioned by October 2017.
• The project received a guaranteed feed-in tariff of DKK 0.7/kWh (EUR 0.09/kWh) for the initial 10 years for the first 50,000 full load hours of operation.

Innovations and Testing

• The Nissum Bredning Vind project serves as a test bed for several innovative technologies, including the gravity jacket foundation, slender tower concept, and cable in pipe solutions.
• The project aims to reduce both capital and operating costs, contributing to a lower levelized cost of electricity (LCoE) for offshore wind energy.

This project is significant for its innovative approaches to overcoming the challenges of shallow water and seabed conditions, and for its role in advancing the technology and cost efficiency of offshore wind energy.