"With our wind power project in Finnmark we are truly on our way to becoming a wind power nation. The construction of the Kjøllefjord wind farm is the result of Statkraft's wide-ranging, heavy commitment to finding new, environment-friendly energy solutions," says Statkraft's CEO Bård Mikkelsen. "The Kjøllefjord wind farm will make a considerable contribution to our efforts to become a European leader in environment-friendly energy. Wind power is renewable energy, and wind power production does not result in emissions to soil, water or air."
Environment-friendly project
The Kjøllefjord wind farm will be located on Mount Gartefjell, south of Kjøllefjord in Lebesby, which offers advantageous wind conditions and is a good distance from residential areas. Great care has been taken with respect to the environment when designing and choosing the location of the wind farm.
The facility will have a total installed effect of up to 40 MW. The number of wind turbines will depend upon the type and size selected. Annual output will be approx. 155 GWh, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of some 6,000 households.
The wind turbine towers will have a height of 70 metres and the rotor a diameter of 76-110 metres, depending on the type of wind turbines used. The wind farm will provide the equivalent of 60 full-time jobs in the construction phase. Once operational, it will employ two or three employees locally.
Construction will start immediately, beginning with an access road to the building site. Costs are estimated at over NOK 400 million and the project has received NOK 83 million in financial support from Enova.
More wind farms
The Kjøllefjord wind farm is Statkraft's fourth large-scale wind power project. The first was Phase 1 of the Smøla wind farm (40 MW), opened in autumn 2002, followed by the Hitra wind farm (55 MW), opened in October 2004. Phase 2 of Smøla (+110 MW) will be opened on 27 September by Gro Harlem Brundtland.
Once the Kjøllefjord plant comes on stream next autumn, Statkraft's wind farms will have a total output of approx. 750 GWh, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of 37,500 households. Statkraft will then be well on its way to achieving its goal of producing 2 TWh of wind power annually by 2010, which will meet the electricity demands of approx. 100,000 households.
Statkraft aims to be a European leader in environment-friendly energy. Based on more than 100 years of knowledge and investments, the Statkraft Group is well equipped for further growth and development - and has a clearly stated desire to create lasting value. Statkraft stands for sustainable development in both an environmental and a financial sense. The group produces a total of 41 TWh per year, making it the third-largest producer of electricity in the Nordic region and the second-largest producer of renewable energy in Europe. The group has approximately 2,000 employees including the subsidiaries Skagerak Energi and Trondheim Energiverk. Statkraft also has shareholdings in the Norwegian power companies BKK, Agder Energi and Fjordkraft, as well as in E.ON Sweden.
For further information:
EVP Ragnvald Nærø, tel.: +47 24 06 71 00 / +47 900 80 303
EVP Ingelise Arntsen, tel.: +47 24 06 72 25 / +47 913 17 578