Second phase of Norwegian wind farm underway
The first phase was completed in February 2011, and financing for the second phase is expected to be completed in mid-February for Høg Jæren EnergiPark, which will eventually have a capacity of 73.6 megawatts.
The second phase of the project is, however, relatively modest at 13.8 megawatts and only involves six additional turbines, which Siemens will be providing. The project's second phase reached a documentary close on January 25, and over the next few weeks financing is expected to be settled. The second phase is expected to cost 30 million euros, putting the cost for both phases at around 170 million.
Law firm Watson, Farley & Williams, which advised on the project, says the site is close to the coast and has good wind conditions, as phase 1 of the project already shows; it became operational in September 2011. Construction of the second phase is scheduled to begin in April, with all of the turbines to be connected to the grid by December.
The project developer is Jæren Energi A/S, which is indirectly owned in large part by the Toyota Tsusho Corporation and the Tokyo Electric Power Company.
As of the end of 2010, Norway had an installed wind power capacity of 441 megawatts according to the European Wind Energy Association's annual statistics for that year (PDF). (Craig Morris)
