James Fisher Renewables – EDS ensures Vattenfall’s Kriegers Flak reaches commissioning milestone

EDS HV Group, high voltage engineering specialists in the renewables industry and part of James Fisher Renewables, is proud to have used its expertise to help Vattenfall complete Denmark and Scandinavia’s largest offshore wind farm, Kriegers Flak.

Following the success of previous projects with Vattenfall, including Aberdeen Bay and Horns Rev 3 amongst others, EDS was asked to deliver this project directly. EDS provided high voltage safety management as well as managing the entire high voltage commissioning process, ensuring that safe energisation was completed on schedule.

The project was successfully delivered in spite of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel restrictions made it extremely difficult to get to site, but EDS ensured their engineers arrived there safely in order to complete the job on time. This included sailing direct from the UK to Denmark, driving across Europe and chartered air travel.

David Orr, commissioning projects business manager, EDS HV Group said: “We are extremely proud to have played such a critical role at Kriegers Flak. Delivering this work project during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely challenging, restrictions were changing almost daily, and we had to adapt and find solutions quickly.

“The EDS team on the project had to be very flexible, travelling over a number of days to get to and from site and extending their normal shift patterns. Our successful delivery on this project is a credit to them.”

Wayne Mulhall, managing director, EDS HV Group said: “At such a critical phase of the wind farm lifecycle Vattenfall can’t afford to take any chances and need to know that its wind farm is in safe hands. Our role is to be the eyes and ears for the commissioning manager, helping to bring an asset online and getting it generating clean green energy.

“As Kriegers Flak reaches this important landmark, we are pleased to have once again supported Vattenfall on their journey, especially during such challenging times.”

Morten Jochimsen, manager commissioning and grid code compliance at Vattenfall: “The whole Kriegers Flak project team from Vattenfall, would like to thank the EDS team, in helping making this landmark project a success. EDS HV’s support and knowledge has been really valuable for the project and has helped us bringing the wind farm alive, without compromising on electrical safety.

“Big thanks to the onsite personnel, who have done a great job, been very flexible in supporting the project during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was at times very challenging.”

The Vattenfall-owned site, located between 15 and 40 km off the east coast of Denmark, reached a landmark in June with the installation of the last of the 72 turbines that will generate 604MW of electricity – corresponding to the annual consumption of approximately 600,000 Danish households and increasing Danish electricity production from wind turbines by about 16 percent.

Kriegers Flak wind farm is now fully operational after successful testing and certification work was completed. It was officially inaugurated by HRH the Crown Prince at a reception on September 6th at Geocenter Møns Klint, which offers views of the wind farm.