Located in Niedere Tauern mountain massif in Styria, Austria, the Tauernwindpark is one of the highest-located wind farms in Europe — operating 1,900 meters above sea-level. ImWind, Tauernwindpark’s owner, was looking to repower the 22.75 MW wind park, which currently consists of 13, V66-1750 kW wind turbines.
A wind-power project in such an environment is demanding, not only with regard to turbulence caused by the mountains, but also with regard to the remote site’s logistical challenges.
To cater to such specific demands, Vestas will provide nine V112-3.45 MW turbines to repower the existing V66-1750kW turbines. It has also developed a customized solution to ensure safe and efficient transportation of the turbines to and from the site.
“Vestas has a highly versatile product portfolio that made it possible to develop a solution that is customized to the specific characteristics of our wind farm in this really unique location,” said Johannes Trauttmansdorff, Partner, ImWind. “The tailor-made solution enables us to achieve the lowest cost of energy at the Tauernwindpark; to us, one of the most important aspects of this project.”
Vestas construction experts collaborated with transport and logistic experts to provide special transport and lifting tools to ensure a timely and smooth construction phase. Additionally, the wind farm will feature site-specific towers with a hub height of 106 m to best adapt to the specific site wind and weather conditions and maximize energy production.
“The team has done a great job in tailoring the technology and towers for the beautiful, yet demanding environment of the site,” said states Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Central Europe.
Austria has ambitious renewable energy targets towards 2030, and a growing renewable energy sector. The enactment of the green electricity amendment, “Kleine Ökostromnovelle,” is an important milestone for the wind energy sector, pushing the further development of wind.
With 87 wind turbines with a total capacity of about 190 MW equalling 400 million kWh, enough green energy is produced to cover 25 percent of the residential electricity consumption in Styria, positioning this region at the forefront of the moving Austrian market.
Filed Under: News, Projects, Repowering