Wind Energy

Statkraft will take over operation of Stage II of the Smøla wind farm

The takeover has been preceded by a very extensive and solid effort to map and assess the condition of components and parts, prepare lists of any deficiencies or flaws, and make sure these are rectified before Statkraft takes over. This comprehensive work has been handled by our own staff in the Wind power plant group, in addition to the region’s technical division. The result is a project completed on time and within budget, with the added of advantage of providing our crews with important expertise.

The Smøla wind farm was developed in two stages. Stage 1 began in 2001, and was opened by H.M. King Harald on 5 September 2002. Stage 2 started in 2004 and came online on 27 September 2005. The installation’s overall output is 150 MW and average annual production is around 450 GWh.

The wind farm consists of a total of 68 wind turbines, whereof 20 wind turbines of 2.0 MW each in Stage 1 and 48 wind turbines of 2.3 MW each in Stage 2. The wind farm covers nearly 18 square kilometers and is Norway’s largest – so far.

“I am very pleased with the way the power plant group and the region’s technical division have handled the technical review of the 68 wind turbines at Smøla,” says power plant manager Arild Soleim.

“We gained a lot of useful experience when we took over responsibility for operations at the Hitra wind farm, where we did a similar job on 24 wind turbines in the autumn of 2009. This way of inspecting wind turbines, before the warranty expires, is very important, and Statkraft has secured top-notch documentation on the condition of the wind turbines. One of the things we have done is endoscopic inspection of all gear boxes using our own crews, which is expertise that will be very beneficial for us in the future,” says a very pleased power plant manager.

“Siemens has almost completed work to repair the faults and deficiencies we uncovered, and we are looking forward to taking over operation of these wind turbines as well. Statkraft now operates 92 wind turbines, all of which are monitored from the regional centre at Gaupne,” concludes Arild Soleim.

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