https://sputnikglobe.com/20220921/norway-about-to-stop-wind-farm-for-being-unable-to-withstand-strong-winds-1101038753.html
Norway About to Stop Wind Farm for... Being Unable to Withstand Strong Winds
Norway About to Stop Wind Farm for... Being Unable to Withstand Strong Winds
Sputnik International
According to the Norwegian authorities, power facilities have been stopped before, “but not because of falling objects,” with Ånstadblåheia Wind Park marking... 21.09.2022, Sputnik International
2022-09-21T10:01+0000
2022-09-21T10:01+0000
2022-09-21T10:01+0000
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The Norwegian Directorate of Water and Energy (NVE) has said it would close down the wind park in Ånstadblåheia in Nordland County due to several turbines falling in strong winds over the past two years.Ånstadblåheia Wind Park started production in 2018, only four years ago. It has 14 wind turbines and produces enough electricity to supply 7,500 households.NVE section manager Anne Johanne Kråkenes assured that the regulator takes the situation seriously.“We have repeatedly recorded falling objects from the turbines, linked to strong winds. This should not happen,” Kråkenes told national broadcaster NRK.While a wind power plant located on the coast of Northern Norway must be able to withstand a lot of harsh weather and wind, this clearly isn't the case in Ånstadblåheia, as strong winds and icing have caused the plastic covers, panels and other parts to repeatedly fall to the ground.According to NVE, the situation indicates that the plant at Ånstadblåheia is neither in a satisfactory operational condition nor sized to operate safely.Local newspaper Bladet Vesterålen stressed the urgency of fixing the turbines to be able to cope with Norwegian wind.General manager of Ånstadblåheia Wind Park Noor Nooraddin confirmed the problems.“The weather and wind in Vesterålen are probably some of the toughest things you can subject such machinery to”, he stressed.In 2020, wind power accounted for 6.4 percent of total electricity production in Norway. Earlier this year, Norway resumed its licensing process for onshore wind power developments after a three-year hiatus. The process of approving new wind power plants was put on hold in 2019 amid a public backlash against construction on previously untouched land.To help tackle Europe's ongoing energy crisis, Norway, the continent's second largest exporter of oil and gas after Russia, aims to increase its output of renewable electricity from wind and solar energy while also maintaining significant petroleum production.While August 2022 surpassed all previous monthly price records for electricity in the Nordic country, energy prices are likely to continue to skyrocket this winter, according to local forecasts.
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Norway About to Stop Wind Farm for... Being Unable to Withstand Strong Winds
According to the Norwegian authorities, power facilities have been stopped before, “but not because of falling objects,” with Ånstadblåheia Wind Park marking the first time. However, Norway has resumed the licensing of onshore wind power projects after a hiatus was prompted by a backlash against construction on untouched land.
The Norwegian Directorate of Water and Energy (NVE) has said it would close down the wind park in Ånstadblåheia in Nordland County due to several turbines falling in strong winds over the past two years.
Ånstadblåheia Wind Park started production in 2018, only four years ago. It has 14 wind turbines and produces enough electricity to supply 7,500 households.
NVE section manager Anne Johanne Kråkenes assured that the regulator takes the situation seriously.
“We have repeatedly recorded falling objects from the turbines, linked to strong winds. This should not happen,” Kråkenes
told national broadcaster NRK.
While a wind power plant located on the coast of Northern Norway must be able to withstand a lot of harsh weather and wind, this clearly isn't the case in Ånstadblåheia, as strong winds and icing have caused the plastic covers, panels and other parts to repeatedly fall to the ground.
According to NVE, the situation indicates that the plant at Ånstadblåheia is neither in a satisfactory operational condition nor sized to operate safely.
“Based on the information we have, we are unaware of such problems at other wind power plants. We have stopped facilities in the past, but not because of falling objects or a lack of maintenance,” Kråkenes told NRK.
Local newspaper Bladet Vesterålen stressed the urgency of fixing the turbines to be able to cope with Norwegian wind.
“In the last two years it has not been safe to travel on the mountain. Although the facility is now being equipped for the future to make the surrounding area safe, the reputation is already damaged,” its editor Morten Berg-Hansen told NRK.
General manager of Ånstadblåheia Wind Park Noor Nooraddin confirmed the problems.
“The weather and wind in Vesterålen are probably some of the toughest things you can subject such machinery to”, he stressed.
In 2020, wind power accounted for 6.4 percent of total electricity production in Norway. Earlier this year, Norway resumed its licensing process for onshore wind power developments after a three-year hiatus. The process of approving new wind power plants was put on hold in 2019 amid a public backlash against construction on previously untouched land.
To help tackle Europe's ongoing energy crisis, Norway, the continent's second largest exporter of oil and gas after Russia, aims to increase its output of renewable electricity from wind and solar energy while also maintaining significant petroleum production.
While August 2022 surpassed all previous monthly price records for electricity in the Nordic country, energy prices are likely to continue to skyrocket this winter, according to local forecasts.
