DNV GL has signed off on France-based Vergnet's turbines at the 120 MW Ashegoda wind project, one of Africa's largest wind farms.
DNV GL confirmed the compliance of the installed turbines with its A-Design Assessment, which the company says ensures the machines meet safety, quality, engineering integrity and other standards.
The wind turbine inspections took approximately two weeks and were accompanied by further investigation and assessment work. Ludovic Dehondt, project manager at Vergnet, says, "Ethiopia has basic infrastructures with a national electrical grid that is still in build-up phase. Ashegoda is situated in complex terrain at 2,200 to 2,500 meters above sea level. This combination led to quite some organizational and technical challenges, which DNV GL helped to handle."
Vergnet's 1 MW wind turbine is a two-bladed machine with a patented lowering system that makes it possible to lower down the upwind part of the nacelle without an external crane. According to DNV GL, the Ashegoda wind farm will help reduce the occurrence of blackouts in Ethiopia, a country that has some of the best wind resources in the world and has a fully developed plan to get up to about 7 GW of wind energy by 2030.
