The Nordex Group is once again supplying wind turbines to Finland. A consortium consisting of the Finnish energy supplier Helen Oy and the Ålandsbanken Wind Power Fund has commissioned Nordex to supply 25 turbines for the “Karahka” wind farm.
These are N163/5.X wind turbines with a total output of 147.5 MW. The order also includes a service contract with a term of 35 years.
The “Karahka” wind farm is to be built north of the city of Oulainen, about 40 kilometers east of the Gulf of Bothnia. Because of the harsh winter weather, Nordex supplies the wind turbines in the lime climate variant and with the advanced anti-icing system, which prevents ice formation on the rotor blades.
Hybrid tower enables wind energy to be harvested at great heights
A hybrid tower with a hub height of 168 meters is also being used for the first time in the wind farm. The wind energy specialist Nordex developed the concrete part for the hybrid tower itself, building on many years of experience with this technology.
The concrete elements are produced in Finland. The annual wind speed in the region is in the middle range, so the large hub height is particularly important for a high yield, explains Nordex. The rotor diameter is 163 meters.
The wind farm was developed by VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy. This is the Finnish subsidiary of the Dresden VSB Group, an international project developer and operator for wind energy and photovoltaics. VSB in turn is majority owned by Partners Group.
After the building permit around January 2022, VSB sold the wind farm to the current consortium. However, VSB remains responsible for the infrastructure work, which is scheduled to start in 2023. Nordex is scheduled to deliver the wind turbines in spring 2024.
“We are pleased that after the 165 MW Kalistanneva wind farm we can now implement another project for Helen and Ålandsbanken Wind Power Fund in Finland,” says Patxi Landa, Chief Sales Officer of the Nordex Group.
The energy supplier Helen supplies a good 550,000 customers in Finland with heat, cold and electricity and wants to become climate-neutral by 2030. Ålandsbanken Funds is Bank of Åland’s fund management company. The Ålandsbanken Wind Power Fund is the first open-ended fund that invests in wind energy and is offered to a broad target group.
The Finnish energy supplier Fortum has already bought wind turbines from Nordex, which are scheduled for delivery in spring 2023.