The Danish Energy Agency has granted permission for the Nysted and Middelgrunden offshore wind farms to continue generating electricity, extending their operating lives by ten and twenty-five years respectively. These are two of Denmark’s oldest offshore wind farms. Middelgrunden, located in the Øresund near Copenhagen, was originally commissioned in 2000, followed by Nysted, off southern Lolland, in 2003. The operators applied for lifetime extensions of ten years for Nysted and twenty-five years for Middelgrunden.
As part of the approval process, the Danish Energy Agency required an independent assessment of the technical remaining lifetime of the turbines. In addition, both operators must now carry out extended annual maintenance checks.
Nysted offshore wind farm, owned by Ørsted, PensionDanmark and Stadtwerke Lübeck, comprises 70 turbines with a combined capacity of 161 MW, enough to supply electricity to more than 130,000 households.
Middelgrunden, just 3.5 km from Copenhagen near Trekroner Fort, is co-owned by Hofor and Middelgrundens Vindmøllelaug. Its 20 turbines generate enough power for approximately 20,000 households and have become a well-known feature of the local skyline.
Earlier in June, the Danish Energy Agency also approved a ten-year extension for the Samsø offshore wind farm.
