Denmark Issues First Life Extension Permit for Offshore Wind Farm

Denmark was a pioneer in the development of the offshore wind farm energy sector more than 30 years ago and now it has issued the first permits to extend the service life of some of the farms. The decision comes at a critical time as several wind farms are facing the expiration of their original 25-year licenses.

The Danish Energy Agency approved the extension of the electricity production permit for the Samsø Offshore Wind Farm by ten years. When the Samsø Offshore Wind Farm was established in 2002, the electricity production permit was limited to 25 years. After that, the wind turbines had to be removed by the plant owner, Wind Estate. The ten-turbine park with a total capacity of 23 MW can produce electricity equivalent to the electricity consumption of 20-25,000 households.

"With this decision, Samsø Offshore Wind Farm can continue to produce green electricity rather than being dismantled and decommissioned. It is gratifying for the green transition and sustainable from a resource perspective, as long as the plant can continue to operate in a responsible manner,” said Deputy Director Stig Uffe Pedersen, Danish Energy Agency.  

The Samsø offshore wind farm the agency notes is almost 25 years old, and it has therefore been important to ensure that the plant's structures can withstand continued production. Wind Estate provided an independent analysis of the remaining service life to the Danish Energy Agency. In addition, the plant owner has agreed to carry out an extended service inspection annually.

The granted permit will allow the offshore wind farm to produce electricity for another 10 years until 2037.

“There are several older offshore wind farms around Denmark that are also approaching their final expiration date. In the coming time, the Danish Energy Agency will assess whether those wind farms can also continue to operate responsibly,” notes Pedersen.

The Danish Energy Agency is currently processing applications for an extension of the electricity production permit for the Middelgrunden offshore wind farm, Rønland offshore wind farm, Nysted offshore wind farm, and Horns Rev 1 offshore wind farm.

The older farms are smaller which has challenged some of them to remain economically viable. In the Netherlands, Google recently signed an agreement with Shell to buy the electricity from a nearly 20-year-old wind farm. It was pointed out that the private purchase agreement made it possible to extend the life of the wind farm