Europe’s biggest wind turbine will be Denmark’s latest tourist attraction after thousands of residents helped fund the purchase of a 15MW Vestas machine.
The single V236 offshore turbine will be placed on the waterfront in the Port of Thyborøn in the northwest of Denmark where local officials hope it will be a draw for visitors.
“Nearly 2,800 local shareholders have financed the turbine, and we look forward to showcase it to locals and tourists as we expect it to become an attraction,” said developer Thyborøn-Harboøre Vindmøllelaug.
The turbine is due for delivery this quarter with commissioning by the end of June. The V236 is 280-metres high with 115.5-metre blades.
The siting of the 15MW machine – which along with a prototype already running at Denmark’s national test centre will become Europe’s most powerful wind turbine in service – will also play a key role in final testing for the V236, which from 2025 is destined for installation offshore at huge projects across Europe and beyond.
Vestas northern and central Europe president Nils de Baar said the project “will help us in our final verification campaign before we begin serial production and installation of the first offshore projects featuring the V236-15.0 MW turbine.
“The 264 days approval process from the municipality has been extremely quick while the local support from the citizens in Thyborøn have been overwhelmingly positive.”
