Construction of the foundations has begun

The construction of the foundations for the offshore wind farm has begun at Horns Rev. On the construction site in the North Sea the establishment of erosion protection has been initiated. The erosion protection consists of a filtering layer of stones, ø3-15 cm. In one trip the vessel Pompei carries stones for two foundation positions - a total of approx. 1,800 tonnes of stones. Once the foundations have been established, the filtering stones are covered with boulders with a weight of 50-350 kg.

The first foundation pile is expected to be driven before the end of March. Buzzard, the jack-up vessel, has called on the Port of Esbjerg and is being equipped with all necessary tools for driving the foundation piles. The Buzzard will carry two foundation piles, the pile driver and all other necessary equipment on each trip. The transitions pieces for the turbines will be placed on a different jack-up called Wind that has also called on the Port of Esbjerg. An additional jack-up, which is currently under construction, will arrive later. Its capacity will be ten piles in one trip. When the new jack-up is taken into operation, the Buzzard will be re-rigged for the installation of the transition pieces and the jack-up Wind will be taken out of operation.

Piles and transition pieces are supplied according to the time schedule from MT Højgaard's sub-suppliers in Holland and Belgium. The components are delivered at the temporary storing facilities at the Port of Esbjerg.

Loading of piles on to the Buzzard.

 
Front: the Buzzard is being prepared for departure. Background: four jack-up legs are visible on the vessel Wind.

 
Transition pieces being fitted with J-tubes for cable pulling.

Vestas prepares for shipping out the first turbines

Vestas are now well in place in the areas at the Port of Esbjerg where the pre-assembly and shipping of the turbines will take place for the Horns Rev wind farm. Vestas have rented an area close to the Traffic Harbour, an area which is fenced and flood-safe. Here, Vestas prepare the nacelles for transportation to Tværkaj. On Tværkaj, an area has been cleared for final fitting and shipping out of the turbines.

The first turbines will arrive at the Port of Esbjerg right after the Easter Holidays. At this very moment, A2Sea's first crane vessel, the Ocean Hanne, is being finished at the EOS shipyard in Esbjerg.

The final work on the vessel includes the installation of hotel containers on the deck for Vestas' fitters who will live onboard the ship during the installa­tion period.

The pile driving which was interrupted in last October due to bad weather is expected to be re-initiated on March 27, 2002 by the jack-up vessel IB909.

The installation work on the substation is drawing to an end. The substation is in the workshop, ready for shipment. All electrical installations have been completed except for the crane. The helicopter deck has been installed and is ready for approval by the Danish Civil Aviation Administration.

During the Easter Holidays first the triangular structure (the bottom structure) and later the substation itself are loaded on to a barge and assembled on the barge. Platforms and walkways, safety equipment and the 170 kV cable between the transformer and GIS system are then fitted. The barge will be pulled to the Port of Esbjerg where the Asian Hercules, a huge crane, hooks the platform, transports it to the Horns Rev construction site in the North Sea and places it on the three mono-piles (tripod foundation).

The departure from Esbjerg is scheduled for April 15, 2002. On April 19 the Asian Hercules is expected to place the substation on to the tripod founda­tion and on May 1, the cable pulling can begin - all, of course, dependent on the weather.

On April 19 the Asian Hercules is expected to place the substation on to the tripod foundation

Safety - high priority

To be prepared for the construction of the Horns Rev offshore wind farm a rescue helicopter has carried out rescue drills. In harsh winds the helicopter approached the Horns Rev offshore prototype wind turbine erected in Tjæreborg.

Invitation to the Press to go to Horns Rev

Elsam is currently arranging a tour for the international press and other media. Read more here if you interested in participating in the tour scheduled for early May this year.

Sunset at Horns Rev.