Fiberline Composites: Unsurpassed flexibility and safety

Helihoist platforms made of GRP composite supplied by Fiberline enable the turbines to be accessed in almost all weathers. And after ten years in the North Sea they have demonstrated unrivalled durability.

The Vattenfall control centre in Esbjerg looks after almost 1000 wind turbines. These include the 80 turbines of the Horns Rev 1 offshore wind farm which is some 15 km west of Denmark. Manned 24/7, the control centre can start and stop the turbines at the push of a button and continuously monitors all turbine operating data.

The Esbjerg control centre also despatches service engineers to carry out turbine repair and maintenance.

“We regularly airlift out personnel by helicopter and lower them onto the helihoist platforms. In waves more than five or six feet high, access by sea is no longer an option and the only way in is by helicopter. We have an agreement with a local company which always has a helicopter on standby,” says Vattenfall’s Carsten Hyldgaard Nielsen.

Safer than crossing the road

When the wind farm was established in 2002 it was decided to equip all the turbines with Fiberline helihoists. Corrosion resistance, combined with low weight and high strength, meant that the GRP composite was chosen ahead of aluminium and other materials. Vattenfall has never had cause to regret this decision.

“We are very happy with this solution. GRP composite offers excellent service life, and we’ve experienced no headaches at all with Fiberline’s helihoists. They provide us with day to day flexibility without compromising on safety. I’d say that using Fiberline helihoists is safer than crossing the road,” says Carsten Hyldgaard Nielsen.

More than 15,000 trips

Helicopters have flown out to the Horns Rev 1 wind farm more than 15,000 times. With a flight time of just 45 minutes, airlifting offers considerable time savings on travel by sea. Fiberline’s 4 x 4m helihoists have a maximum load specification of 300 kg, which is ample for two service engineers.

You can meet Fiberline at this year’s EWEA offshore and see a full size helihoist on the stand.