Located in Niedere Tauern mountain massif in Styria, Austria, the Tauernwindpark is one of the highest-located wind parks 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 as well.
To cater to such specific demands, Vestas will provide nine V112-3.45 MW turbines to repower the existing V66-1750kW turbines, and has also developed a customised solution to ensure safe and efficient transportation of the wind turbines to and from the site. 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 park will feature site-specific towers with a hub height of 106 m in order to best adapt to the specific site wind and weather conditions and maximise energy production.
“Vestas has a highly versatile product portfolio that made it possible to develop a solution that is customised to the specific characteristics of our wind farm in this really unique location”, says Johannes Trauttmansdorff, Partner, ImWind. ”The V112-3.45 MW in combination with the site-specific 106 m towers and the smooth and fast project execution that Vestas is known for, is ideal for our repowering project in Styria. 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.”
“This project proves Vestas’ capability to develop site-specific solutions for all wind sites. With the solution for Tauernwindpark, our highly valued long-term customer ImWind gets technology that meets specific requirements with regard to load, turbulence and weight for a wind park located at a height of 1,900 meters”, states Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Central Europe. “The team has done a great job in tailoring the technology and towers for the beautiful, yet demanding environment of the site.”
Austria has ambitious renewable energy targets towards 2030 and a growing renewable energy sector. The enactment of the green electricity amendment “Kleine Okostromnovelle” 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.
