Fourteen wind turbines completed at Vaðölduver

Installation of 14 wind turbines at Vaðölduver, below Sultartangalón reservoir in the Þjórsá and Tungnaá region, has been completed, mbl.is reports.

Employees of German wind turbine manufacturer Enercon installed the final turbine on Thursday. Work began in the second half of May and has progressed well, with between 200 and 300 people working at the construction site at its peak this summer.

“The construction has gone well and the plans have held up in their main respects,” Gunnar Aron Ólason, communications officer for new projects at Landsvirkjun, said.

The 14 turbines make up the first phase of the Vaðölduver project. A further 14 turbines are expected to be installed next year, bringing the total to 28. The project will have an installed capacity of up to 120 megawatts and an estimated average annual production of about 440 gigawatt-hours.

Work is now under way to connect the turbines to Vaðölduver’s collector station and transformer, along with other preparations for commissioning.

The first turbines are expected to begin operating around the middle of September. The timing depends on the progress of technical tests and other conditions.

Wind power production depends on wind speed and is generally highest when winds are strong. It complements Landsvirkjun’s hydropower system, allowing the output of hydropower plants to be reduced when wind production is high and increased again when the wind drops.