Vestas received a milestone order from Danish foundation Hirtshals Havnefond for a 17-megawatt project in northwestern Denmark that will be the country's first utility-scale, subsidy-free wind park, the Danish wind giant announced late Thursday.
Located directly on the waterfront in the Port of Hirtshals, the park will feature four V136-4.2 MW turbines with 82-meter towers, which will provide energy for around 16,000 households when fully commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to Vestas' statement.
The contract includes supply and installation of the wind turbines as well as a 20-year Active Output Management 5000 full-scope operations and maintenance service agreement.
'We are honored to partner with Hirtshals Havnefond for this project. The site's excellent wind conditions, in combination with the introduction of the V136-4.2 MW turbine to the Danish market, have been some of the key ingredients for the realization of a profitable wind park under merchant market conditions,' said Christer Baden Hansen, Vestas’ vice president of sales for northern and western Europe.
According to the company's statement, Hirtshals Havnefond has secured a short-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Energi Danmark. Three of the turbines will be owned by the local foundation Hirtshals Havnefond and the fourth turbine will be sold in shares to local citizens and institutions.
'The landmark project comes shortly after Denmark's first energy-neutral auction in November 2018 that showed record-low level of subsidy prices, highlighting how the technology has matured with significant cost reductions for renewable energy projects as the result,' the press release added.
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance's latest benchmark analysis released earlier this week, the levelized cost of energy of onshore wind has fallen by 49 percent since 2010 and 10 percent since 2018 alone.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr