Growing wind power creates new requirements for the surrounding infrastructure
A bone-chilling gust of wind picks up someone’s hat and makes the tall trees sway in rhythm. The wind is a familiar companion to outdoorsy people especially in coastal areas, and Finland has more than a thousand kilometres of coastline. Another familiar sight is the white windmills spinning in the horizon and collecting wind for our energy needs. Wind power has become one of the most important sources of renewable energy; in 2022, there were nearly 1,400 wind power plants operating in Finland, and the future looks even windier.
Wind power increases in size and capacity
As wind power has become an increasingly important source of renewable energy, more and more new wind farms have popped up around Finland. In the last couple of years, wind power has seen greater growth than ever before, and in 2022 alone, more than 400 new plants were erected in Finland. Even if these record-breaking figures are not reached again, there is more to come; according to various forecasts, the annual wind power potential of Finland will increase fivefold or more by 2030. The increased demand for wind power is also reflected in the size and production capacity of the farms and turbines.
“In recent years, wind power plants have considerably increased in size and capacity, and the growth is expected to continue,” says Mikko Niinimaa, Head of Unit for Wind Power Construction at Destia.
The increased capacity of the plants affects all the aspects of the farms; the more powerful the plant, the larger the construction. Larger plants require new foundation solutions, a larger network and larger cables.
“Larger plants are already being tested offshore, and we are soon likely to see them on the mainland as well. The growth so far has also been impressive; ten years ago, the rotors had a diameter of 117 metres, whereas these days the diameter is up to 170 metres, in addition to which the capacity of onshore plants has nearly tripled.”
The growth is already evident in the planning stages of wind farms as the preconditions and requirements of the planning are in a constant state of flux.
“As the capacity of the plants increases, so do their size and mass. This directly affects the solutions to be designed and implemented, all the way from the surrounding road network to the foundations of the turbines. It will be interesting to see when we reach a limit in natural foundation solutions where an innovative foundation method will be considerably more efficient than the traditional gravity abutment based on mass and size; in rock anchor foundations, this is already a reality,” says Pekka Koivula, Director of Design Services at Destia.
One contract from design to finish
The growth of wind farms entails a promising future for Destia, a company full of expertise and resources for turnkey projects from the first drawing all the way to connecting to the grid.
“We are the only operator that is able to implement a wind farm from the foundation and the surrounding infrastructure all the way to the power lines and the grid connections. We are a one-stop-shop for expertise in the different subsections of wind farm projects, which is why the entire project can be implemented with a single contract. This reduces not only the client’s costs but also the touchpoints of the contract, thus making it easier to manage the bigger picture, communications and schedules,” says Niinimaa.
We are a one-stop-shop for expertise in the different subsections of wind farm projects, which is why the entire project can be implemented with a single contract. This reduces not only the client’s costs but also the touchpoints of the contract, thus making it easier to manage the bigger picture, communications and schedules
Destia is a one-stop-shop for expertise in the different subsections of wind farm projects, which is why the entire project can be implemented with a single contract. This reduces not only the client’s costs but also the touchpoints of the contract, thus making it easier to manage the bigger picture, communications and schedules.
Implementing various subsections with a single operator enables a turnkey delivery of the entire wind farm, making it possible to optimise various steps for the benefit of the client. At the moment, Destia’s future seems to lie in large projects, implementing the project all the way from the design process to the grid connection.
As an example of a turnkey project, Niinimaa mentions the currently ongoing Niinimäki wind farm project in Pieksämäki where the work is carried out by several units.
“In Niinimäki, we are taking care of everything and using competent workers for every step of the way. Because the workers of the different stages are part of the same team, we’ve had a better opportunity to consider the requirements and viewpoints of different subsections in the tender calculation stage as well. Moreover, our team already operating in the Pieksämäki region are acquainted with potential local partners and the general area.”
The client also has the opportunity to monitor the progress of the contract in real time as consistent 3D models that display the precise plans of the farm, the progress at the site and the as-built drawings prepared by the machinery as a clear, visual package.
Quality design steers the success of the entire contract
In large projects, the role of the first steps is particularly important as the ability to stick to the schedule largely depends on the design and planning.
“The larger the project, the more work there is in designing and planning it. The time reserved for the design and planning, in turn, considerably affects the amount of the resources needed to start the construction in time,” says Koivula.
A major project requires active dialogue with the client so that the design and planning can be staggered according to the order of implementation. However, large size also brings the opportunity to improve the practical feasibility and quality of the solutions as the project progresses, if necessary.
The hectic nature of wind power project and multi-step tendering processes sometimes require the design team to act fast and rearrange the resources.
“Working wisely and managing the bigger picture is paramount. The work itself is still quite different from road projects, for example, especially when it comes to foundations. As of yet, there are no straightforward or even consistent ways of working, let alone standards of guidelines, for wind power foundations built for Finnish conditions. Therefore, proactive measures and interaction are vitally important in the design and planning stage to ensure that the project can be completed, step by step, in an efficient manner that makes sense for all the parties involved.”