09/19/2023

Suomen Hyötytuuli starts FEED for turbine foundations in Tahkoluoto offshore wind farm extension project

Suomen Hyötytuuli is developing an extension to Tahkoluoto offshore wind farm on the west coast of Finland. The wind turbines of at least 15 megawatts will be built in deeper waters than ever before in Finland. The company has now launched FEED (Front End Engineering Design) for Suomen Hyötytuuli’s own concept, which is the base case for the project. The other concepts to be studied are by Enersense Offshore and Aker Solutions.

Image: Pixabay

The foundations of the first turbines in the Tahkoluoto extension project will be built at 40 and 25 metres water depth. They will be designed to withstand the loads of the 15+ megawatt turbines and the harsh icy conditions of the Baltic Sea. The foundation concept selection has been narrowed down to three different concepts which are all gravity based (GBS, Gravity Based Structure). The main differences lie in the construction material, installation method and overall execution model.

The base case of the FEED is Suomen Hyötytuuli’s own design, an all-steel foundation concept. In addition, two other potential concepts will be studied: Enersense Offshore’s hybrid foundation made of concrete and steel, and Aker Solutions’ fully concrete foundation.

”We are excited to enter this phase in the project, and work with our partners is in full swing. This is a significant step towards the project execution”, says Manu Grönlund, Project Director at Suomen Hyötytuuli. ”In the FEED phase, we will create the technical and commercial data of each foundation concept for final evaluation. Based on the results, we will select the most cost-efficient option, taking into account the manageability of risks related to construction and installation. The FEED is due to be completed in November and the concept selection will be done in December 2023.”

Tahkoluoto extension project consists of forty wind turbines of over 15 megawatts. The water and construction permits for the turbines to be built in the first phase are expected to be finalised this autumn. The construction of the first turbines of the extension project has received funding from EU’s NextGenerationEU.