Finnish company Metsähallitus has announced that it will soon start testing wind levels at the site in Maalahden Bergö. The measurements will take about two years and the construction of the Korsnäs offshore wind farm will depend on the results.
Metsähallitus is a state-owned company with the ambitious goal of developing the Korsnäs offshore wind farm, located 15 km off the coast of the municipality of the same name, in the waters of the Baltic Sea. The offshore wind farm could be operational as early as in 2028 in a water area managed by the company itself. The area is listed in the Maritime Land Use Plan with designation for power generation. The municipality of Korsnäs has approved the proposed plans to build the farm, as reported on BalticWind.EU. The capacity of the turbines planned in Korsnäs is estimated at 12 – 20 MW.
Wind measurements are part of the preparation for the construction of an offshore wind farm. Work will begin with the installation of the survey mast in November 2021. Wind conditions will be measured on leased land in Maalahden Bergö, where a wind mast will be built that will be 170 m high.
A special installation will allow evaluation of average wind speed, turbulence and wind speed change at different heights. In addition to several wind sensors installed on the mast, the measurements are supplemented by a Lidar wind instrument based on laser technology. Lidar is a device that sends low-power laser beams into the atmosphere and calculates wind speeds up to 300 meters by counting the reflected light back.
The measurements will take about two years, after which the mast will be dismantled. Measurements take a long time because each year’s weather is different – measurements must be taken during all seasons.
According to preliminary estimates, the area planned for the Korsnäs offshore wind farm will have good wind conditions, which are crucial for the profitability of the wind turbine. However, the ability to stop the power plant in high winds is essential for safety, which is why it is so important to indicate how strong the winds are in a given area.
