The first stage of Finland's largest wind farm, the Kemi Ajos in Northern Finland, has been completed and testing is in progress. ABB will deliver generators and frequency converters to all wind turbines in the project. The wind farm will be connected to the national grid with an
11-kilometer, 110 kilovolt power line. The included substations and transformers will also be ABB products.
The construction of the Ajos wind farm has progressed according to schedule. The five turbines of the first phase are already up. The wind farm was ordered by PVO-Innopower Oy, a Finnish subsidiary of Pohjolan Voima. The wind farm will have 10 three megawatt turbines, resulting in the total production capacity of 30 megawatts.
Three of the first five turbines are placed on artificial islands built in 3–8 meters of water in front of the Ajos harbor, and two were built on firm land. The first turbine of the wind farm was connected to main grid in October 2007.
The substation is the heart of a wind farm
The ABB delivery included a
110/20 kV substation as a turnkey delivery. "The substation receives the power from wind generators, transforms it and then feeds it into the national grid. The substation is an important point for the distribution of electricity," says sales manager Jari Pirhonen from ABB's Transmission & Distribution Substations unit.
The energy efficient ABB components promote sustainable development. They are the natural choice for renewable energy source utilization
ABB will also deliver all frequency converters for the project. Frequency converters are used for adjusting the rotation gear in the machine room and for auxiliary device control for the generators and the main drives.
Permanent magnet technology prevents energy losses
The permanent magnet technology utilized in the power plants prevents energy loss from the generators. "Permanent magnets create good efficiency by eliminating the loss caused by excitation at the rotor," explains project manager Ville Voutilainen from ABB's Wind power generators unit.
The costs of the Ajos wind farm project total
EUR 50 million. The second phase turbines will be erected in late summer 2008, and they will be operational by the end of 2008. The entire farm will be commissioned in late winter 2009. The Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry has granted investment support to the Ajos wind farm.
Text: Tuija Elomaa-Mäenpää