Vestas has received a 71 MW order from VALOREM, a major player in the French wind energy market, for the Saunamaa and Suolakangas wind projects located in southern Finland. VALOREM and Octopus Energy Investments (OEI) have entered into a joint venture for the construction and operation of the 33.6 MW Saunamaa and 37.8 MW Suolakangas wind projects.
To maximize power production and cater for local tip height requirements, the Saunamaa project will feature a customized Vestas solution, including eight V150-4.2 MW wind turbines with a 135m hub height specifically developed for the site. The Suolakangas project comprises nine V150-4.2 MW turbines, featuring Vestas’ standard towers with a hub height of 155m.
Located in Finland, the sites’ cold climate conditions are dealt with through Vestas’ Anti-Icing-SystemTM that efficiently manages ice formation on blades during operation to maximize energy production. Targeting icing only where and when it is needed minimizes the system’s power consumption and maximizes the effective climatic operating range.
While maintaining a minority stake, VALOREM will manage construction and operation of both wind farms through its subsidiaries VALREA, VALEMO and its local partner Megatuuli. The deal will be VALOREM’s first investment and construction in the Finnish market, leveraging its international experience from wind farm development, construction and operation. These assets represent an investment of around EUR80 million (US$89.5 million).
Construction will start immediately, and the wind farms are expected to be in commercial operation by late 2020.
