The case in summary: Over a third of the wind turbines in Nord-Odal are idle due to faults. The municipality has lost several million kroner due to the standstill. 13 of the wind turbines are idle due to damage to the blades, which is due to a manufacturing error. Two turbines are out of service due to other damage that is being repaired. The municipality receives a production tax from the wind power company, and the income therefore depends on how much the wind power plant produces. Work to repair the wing blades has begun, but it is uncertain how long the repairs will take. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – For Nord-Odal municipality, it is a bit tragic, says newly elected mayor of the municipality, Odd Kjetil Østvand-Sløtte (Ap). Odal wind power plant located in Nord-Odal has a total of 34 wind turbines, but now 15 of the turbines are out of operation. So far, the municipality has lost NOK 3 million due to the shutdown. It is felt in a municipality that is struggling to make ends meet. – It is clear that it is felt on a municipal budget which is extremely low from before. The economy is very challenging for our municipality, says Østvand-Sløtte. Odd Kjetil Østvand-Sløtte (Ap) is mayor of Nord-Odal municipality in Innlandet. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Damage to the blades The reason why 13 of the wind turbines are standing still is due to damage to several of the blades. – This is a production error, says general manager of Odal Wind Power Plant, Lars Tallhaug. The blades of the wind turbines in Nord-Odal are 71 meters long and weigh 22 tonnes per blade. Photo: Frode Meskau / news The first damage was discovered early in 2023, and over the course of the year more faults were discovered. These therefore had to be stopped. According to the wind power company, this is a warranty issue which they follow up with the supplier. In addition, there are currently two more turbines that are out of operation due to other damage that is being repaired, Tallhaug states. There has also been talk that cracks have been discovered in the wind turbines’ concrete foundations, but according to the company this is not true. – There are no cracks in the concrete foundations, but on the other hand cracks have been discovered in the topmost concrete elements in the towers, which will also be repaired this year, says Tallhaug. Avisa Glåmdalen has also covered this case. – We have also understood that the company is doing what they can to repair as soon as possible, says Mayor Østvand-Sløtte. The wind turbines have a height of 217 metres. Photo: Frode Meskau / news – Very unusual – This is a special case that is very unfortunate for the power company in Odal. That’s what Magnus Korpås, who is professor of electrical energy at NTNU in Trondheim, says. He refers to figures from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the USA which show that 5 percent of wind turbines are standing at all times. This means that the windmills work as they should 95 percent of the time. – 44 percent of the windmills are in Odal. This is very unusual, says Korpås. Magnus Korpås from NTNU says that it is very unusual for so many windmills to stand still. Photo: NTNU Lost electricity production The municipality receives a so-called production fee from the wind power company. How much money the municipality receives therefore depends on how much the wind power plant produces. In addition, the municipality receives income in the form of property tax and land owner tax, which are fixed amounts. For 2024, the municipality has calculated to get around NOK 20 million from the facility, which is NOK 3 million less than they had thought. – Initially, this was supposed to generate quite a lot of money for the municipality, and this means that we will get less now, says Østvand-Sløtte. The wind power company admits that the situation results in lost electricity production. In normal operation, production will be around 530 GWh. – But we cannot say anything about the extent of this going forward, as this is also affected by weather and wind conditions, says Tallhaug. And it may appear that the situation may persist for some time. May take time Work to repair the wing blades has begun, and Odal wind power plant states that they will continue the repair work through 2024. However, how long the repairs will take is uncertain. – We know that improvements and inspections are planned which will extend beyond the current year. The work on improvements is limited in the coldest winter period because the repair process is somewhat weather dependent, says Tallhaug. According to Nord-Odal municipality, we are talking about repairs and follow-up of damage that can take up to several years in total. Mayor Østvand-Sløtte tells news that he is somewhat concerned, but that they have had a good dialogue with the company throughout. – We understand that this is challenging, because this is a new generation of wind turbines, he says. Photo: Frode Meskau / news The wind power plant now has 19 turbines in normal operation, and according to the company, they now have good electricity production. – We supply a significant amount to the electricity grid. During the year, we expect to be in normal operation, says general manager Tallhaug.
ttn-69
In Nord-Odal 15 out of 34 wind turbines out of operation – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
