Project
EIA investigations optimised Denmark’s largest offshore wind turbine park
In the coming years, offshore wind turbines will be constructed at Kriegers Flak and they may look like this.
Four years of thorough environmental investigations and assessments ensure that Kriegers Flak offshore wind turbine park can be constructed with the fewest possible impacts on the environment.
August 17, 2018
- SDG: #7, #14
- SECTORS: Offshore Wind
- COUNTRIES: Denmark
- CLIENT: EIA investigation and Energinet.dk
NIRAS prepared the EIA investigation that formed the basis for Energinet.dk receiving an establishing permission to construct the wind turbines at Kriegers Flak – Denmark’s largest offshore wind turbine park.
NIRAS prepared the EIA investigation that formed the basis for Energinet.dk receiving an establishing permission to construct the wind turbines at Kriegers Flak – Denmark’s largest offshore wind turbine park.
It is possible to construct the wind turbine park without significant impacts to the environment.
NIRAS determined the environmental requirements
NIRAS conducted the EIA investigations in the period 2012 to 2016. Among others, the comprehensive field investigations comprised a mapping of seals and porpoises movement in the area as well as bird migration over the planned wind turbine area was investigated.
A EIA investigation is meant to uncover the environmental impact of a construction project and establish the environmental requirements that a coming contractor must comply with.
It is a requirement for large constructions such as harbours, bridges and wind turbine parks that they must not impact the nature significantly. This requirement is especially important when it concerns special protected species. NIRAS’ assignment was to ensure that this requirement is complied with by the construction of Denmark’s largest offshore wind turbine park at the Danish part of the shallow area Kriegers Flak in the middle of the ocean between Denmark and Germany.
One of the world’s largest offshore wind turbine parks
Together with seven sub-consultants, NIRAS was in charge of the mapping of all environmental conditions and the assessment of all environmental impacts. This had led to new innovative methods to investigate the occurrence of different species and predict the environmental strain of the 600 MW large offshore wind turbine park, which is among one of the world’s largest when it is finished in 2020.
600,000
Once completed, the Kriegers Flak Offshore Wind Farm will generate green energy corresponding to the energy consumption of 600,000 households.
Among others and for the first time in the world, the extremely complicated and detailed investigations implied that GPS trackers were placed at cranes and seals in order to investigate their behavior. Tail water noise at different constructions of the offshore wind turbine park was calculated in order to estimate how far the noise is extended from the wind turbine park. Based on that, it is possible to assess if it is necessary with preventive measures in order for e.g. seals and porpoises not being impacted by the noise.
The investigations and assessments are organized in a way so the concession holders tendering for the construction of the park, have the widest possible freedom to choose technology and concrete design of the offshore wind turbine park.
It is Vattenfall Wind Energy who is constructing Kriegers Flak offshore wind turbine park.
20 GW in 25 years
NIRAS is in the world’s top three as one of the most experience consultants within establishment of wind turbines. NIRAS earned this position after being involved in projects in total of 20 GW in the latest 25 years in Europe and Asia, in the later years offshore wind turbine parks in particular.
Find out more
Energinet has been assigned the task of connection Denmark’s largest offshore Wind Farm at Kriegers Flak in the Baltic Sea to the Danish power grid. Read more about the project: Kriegers Flak: Nettilslutning af havmøllepark