How was the success story of Pjelax wind farm created?

The wind farm, jointly owned by Fortum and Helen, produces more than one terawatt hour of renewable electricity per year, which is equivalent to the annual consumption of around 80,000 electrically heated detached houses. It is located in the area of Närpiö and Kristiinankaupunki in Ostrobothnia. The wind farm is impressive not only because of its 56 wind turbines and 6,000 hectares of land but also because of the large size of the individual wind turbines. The tips of the modern turbine blades reach a maximum height of 240 meters.   

The sheer size of wind turbine components makes transportation challenging. Fortunately, the main components from India, Spain, Germany and Turkey could be transported by ship to the port of Kaskinen, about 15 kilometers from the wind farm. In total, there were 728 massive special transports from the port to Pjelax, 13 transports per wind turbine. The tower structures came from Turkey and there were concerns about deliveries as earthquakes hit Turkey in February 2023.   
 

The erection of the structures went smoothly in cooperation 

Weather conditions have a major impact on the erection of the various components of massive wind turbines, for which the conditions in the North offer only a few months' window of opportunity. The best period is from April to October, when there is not too much wind and the risk of snow or ice is low. Planning and cooperation between international equipment suppliers and experienced local contractors was vital to the project's success.  

One great example of excellent collaboration was Finnish company Suvic completing the civil works (roads and hardstands) ahead of schedule in order for the turbine supplier Nordex to be able to start construction of the turbines earlier. In addition, local road maintenance company Simons Infra worked 24/7 to allow for safe and easy access for components and workers to the site. In the end, the turbine supplier made a record time in erecting 56 wind turbines in only 6 months!  

Safety everyone’s highest priority  

Safety was the highest priority of the construction project. Up to 200 people worked daily on the site with a wide variety of languages spoken. It was also important to minimize disturbance to the numerous landowners and their hunting and forestry activities while major construction was going on. To minimize the risks caused by having so many people on site, each construction phase kicked off with a safety meeting with all contractors. Everyone’s common priority was to ensure to work and help each other in such a way that everyone got to go home safe – whether their home was in Närpiö, Lisbon, Vaasa or Warsaw.