Press release -
Sweden's largest wind turbine takes the sea route to the Port of Gothenburg
The most powerful wind turbine in Sweden is currently being built at Risholmen at the entrance to the Port of Gothenburg. The foundation has been laid and the components are due to arrive in the Port of Gothenburg on Sunday. The new wind turbine will be capable of producing 15 million kWh each year, five times more than a normal wind turbine.
The Abis Shipping Company vessel Abis Belfast is currently en route to Sweden carrying parts for the largest wind turbine in Sweden. The 85 m tower and the generator components and housing that are being transported weigh a total of 600 tonnes. The voyage commenced in Bremerhaven in Germany, where the parts for the tower were loaded. The vessel then proceeded to the Port of Verdal in Norway, where the generator components and housing were taken on board, before continuing to the Port of Gothenburg.
The equipment will be unloaded at quay 815 at Risholmen, close to the final location of the wind turbine. The rotor blades will arrive later in the week from Brazil. Once in place, the 145 m high wind turbine will be the highest point in Gothenburg.
Sweden's largest wind turbine will be located at the southern tip of Risholmen. The land is owned jointly by the Port of Gothenburg and the energy company St1 and its use is governed by a ten-year lease.
Magnus Kårestedt, chief executive of the Port of Gothenburg stated: "It was a natural step for us to lease the land for this initiative and it is entirely in line with our own sustainability programme. All electricity that we consume is environmentally labelled and the electricity used by vessels that connect up to a shoreside power supply comes from existing wind turbines at the entrance to the port."
This record-breaking wind turbine has the capacity to produce 15 million kWh per year, which is five times more than a standard wind turbine. The power generated would be sufficient to heat 3,000 average-sized family homes.
The wind turbine is expected to be completed by December 16. The driving force behind the project is Göteborg Wind Lab – Göteborg Energi's new research centre specialising in wind power and energy production technology. The supplier is General Electric.
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Fact file: Port of Gothenburg
The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region with 11,000 visits by vessels each year. One-third of Swedish foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg as well as 65 per cent of all container traffic.
The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the world's largest container vessels and has the broadest range of shipping routes within and outside Europe. The 26 rail shuttles that depart each day mean that companies throughout Sweden and Norway have a direct, environmentally smart link to the largest port in the Nordic region. The Port of Gothenburg has terminals for oil, cars, ro-ro, containers and passengers.
