Extensive requirements for port facilities
Offshore wind energy components require a lot of space and are expected to become bigger and bigger in the future. This requires large open storage areas with open fairways on the waterside both into and out of the port without any obstacles such as bridges and locks.

Wind energy components are heavy to handle and move, so minimising the distance from quay to storage area can be very significant for the final offshore wind energy project.

The components are extremely heavy, so a strong surface with a high load-bearing capacity is required for the storage area.

The new storage areas in Sydhavnen at the Port of Thyboron have tailor-made heavy-duty surface with a high load-bearing capacity for large offshore wind energy components. To ensure a high load-bearing capacity, 221,000 tonnes of granite chippings have been sourced from Norway and carefully laid out and graded over the new 190,000-square-metre drained area. The storage area was commissioned in time to support the THOR project, and offers plenty of space.

Flexibility and reliable deliveries
Most of the large secondary steel components for the THOR offshore wind farm – i.e. work platforms, boat landings and internal cassettes for the foundations for the 72 wind turbines – have been arriving over the spring.

Quayside storage space can be valuable. In addition to the benefits deriving from being able to gather components at a single location, the continuous unloading of main components ensures the components are available in time for installation. The Port of Thyboron is just 20 nautical miles from THOR offshore wind farm, and the components in Thyboron today are therefore ready to hand so to speak, only a short distance away by sea. This guarantees being able to keep pace with the installation vessel during the installation work, which reduces the risk of waiting time. In addition, the storage areas also free up space at the supplier’s production facilities.

Efficient logistics on land
The fact that the storage area is directly adjacent to the quay facilities at Sydhavnen in Thyboron and that the storage areas are located as close as possible to the vessels makes it possible to efficiently handle the components on land with reduced driving to and from the storage areas.

The components are handled safely and efficiently on land by terminal operator Buss Danmark A/S and the crane contractor Mammoet Danmark A/S.

Local choice
RWE’s choice of a local port for installing the Danish offshore wind farm THOR has huge significance for the port and the entire area.” At the Port of Thyboron, we are still pinching ourselves and feel extremely proud every time the wind energy industry chooses us for offshore wind turbine projects in the North Sea. The fact that RWE is the first to store offshore wind turbine components at the new heavy-duty storage areas greatly supports the future development of more capacity at the Port of Thyboron”, says Tine Jensen Le Breton, head of sales and marketing at the Port of Thyboron. She continues: “It is a great pleasure to have RWE at the port, and to see how many local companies are involved in installing the secondary steel structures for the THOR offshore wind farm. The installation of the wind farm is generating considerable activity with ships moored throughout much of the harbour as well as boosting local development.”