After more than 25 years of operation, DONG Energy’s Vindeby, the world’s first offshore wind farm, was fully dismantled. Vindeby Offshore Wind Farm near Lolland, in the south east of Denmark, was constructed in 1991 as a demonstration project which was to prove whether it was possible to generate green power offshore.
In March 2017, contractors commenced the dismantling of the 11 wind turbines. Blades, nacelle and tower were dismantled and taken down individually by a mobile crane and placed on board a so-called jack-up vessel. Now, the dismantling process has been completed.
“This is the first time we’re dismantling an offshore wind farm, but luckily, we’ve been able to draw on our vast experience from constructing offshore wind farms and working offshore,” says Leif Winther, Senior Lead Business Developer in DONG Energy.
Throughout the dismantling process, up to 20 workers have taken part in the work, which took place in periods when the weather permitted offshore work. Water depths of only two to five metres added to the challenging conditions, as only a limited selection of vessels were able to work in the area.
All wind turbine components and parts from the foundations were shipped to shore in Nyborg Harbour and will be reused as much as possible as spare parts for other wind turbines, while the blades will be reused in an innovative noise barrier concept.
