DNV GL awards project certificate to Vattenfall’s Horns Rev 3 offshore wind farm

DNV GL, the world's largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, has officially issued the project certificate to Vattenfall for its Horns Rev 3 offshore wind farm. The certificate proves a safe and cost-efficient operation of the largest offshore wind farm in Denmark.

The 412 MW Horns Rev 3 offshore wind farm is the third phase of offshore wind development at the Horns Rev site, 20-30 kilometres off the Danish Jutland coast. With its forty-nine 8.3 MW MHI Vestas Offshore Wind V164 turbines, it is capable of powering around 425,000 Danish households and will provide some of the cheapest offshore wind electricity in Europe.

“As the largest offshore wind farm in Denmark and one of the most cost-efficient generators of offshore wind power in Europe, Horns Rev 3 highlights Vattenfall’s commitment to enable a fossil-free world,” says Kim Sandgaard-Mørk, Executive Vice President for Renewables Certification at DNV GL. “DNV GL is proud to have supported them in delivering this remarkable achievement, thanks to a close working relationship with Vattenfall and its suppliers including the wind turbine manufacturer.”

“Project certification is a requirement for Danish offshore wind farms and provides Vattenfall and their stakeholders with confidence as during the certification process relevant standards for the development and execution of the project are applied and risks are mitigated,” adds Fabio Pollicino, Director for Project Certification at DNV GL.

“With an annual capacity of 1,700 GWh per year, Horns Rev 3 is a significant contribution to our vision for fossil free living within a generation. We are very pleased that we have now been awarded this certificate for Horns Rev 3 confirming that the wind farm is fit to perform for 25 years. We have had a good collaboration with DNV GL, where the evaluation included assessment on the maturity of the turbine design, its manufacturing, installation and commissioning processes as well as assessment of related documentation,” says Belén Fernández Montes, Certification Engineer at Vattenfall.

Project certification is a process of technical evaluation of various components individually and the project as a whole. The independent certification provides reliable proof that a project has taken measures to ensure quality, stable operation and proper risk management, thereby maximizing the chances of a successful project outcome.

The certification of the Horns Rev 3 project was carried out according to the Danish Executive Order No. 73 (BEK 73) and covered the wind turbines including their support structure plus all the cabling connecting the wind turbines to the offshore substation. Inspections were carried out over a three-year period and included surveillance of manufacturing, transportation and installation of the various components and witnessing the commissioning of the complete wind farm.