HOLSTEBRO: In competition with the larger towns of Thyborøn and Hvide Sande, Thorsminde, with just 350 inhabitants, emerged as the big winner in the battle to become the location for RWE's service center for Denmark's largest offshore wind farm Thor. The Port of Thorsminde has thus been chosen as the service port for the new wind farm, the port announced in a press release.
- We have just entered into an agreement with RWE that they will establish themselves in Thorsminde with their Operations and Maintenance Center. This means that all operation and maintenance of the offshore wind farm Thor will take place from the port town. In addition, it is expected that all crew and smaller construction parts that will be sailed to Thor during the construction phase will also leave Thorsminde. This applies to both RWE and RWE's subcontractors, says Poul Willadsen, chairman of the board of directors for the Port of Thorsminde.
The Port of Thorsminde was chosen because it is the port with the shortest distance to the future wind farm. With 22 km from the port to the offshore wind farm, it is both the shortest sea route and the fastest air route.
- Objectively, the Port of Thorsminde is an obvious choice. Short distance equals fuel savings, so it is of course an important parameter when we have to sail or fly out to the turbines. But what was decisive for the choice was the goodwill we experienced from the Port of Thorsminde and the Municipality of Holstebro. I am very much looking forward to the start-up in Thorsminde and to the partnership with the port and the local community, says Pia Lanken, Project and Development Director for the Thor project for RWE.
Will secure many jobs
RWE will establish itself in Thorsminde during the spring of 2023. The offshore wind farm must be ready by 2027 at the latest. Preparatory studies, procurement of turbines, cables, etc. will start slowly and activities will escalate during 2023-2025. During 2026-2027, RWE will transfer to operation of the wind farm and the service center will be established.
The agreement between the Port of Thorsminde and RWE means 50-60 permanent jobs and what may come from subcontractors throughout the construction phase. RWE estimates that number to be somewhere between 2-400 temporary jobs.
However, it will not be only Thorsminde that will be the port for the establishment of Thor and become part of the many energy investments in the North Sea.
- Some of the components that will be sailed out to Thor are simply too large to be able to leave from the port of Thorsminde. Our neighboring ports will therefore also be completely natural choices for the establishment of Thor, says Lisette Sønderby, port manager in Thorsminde.
RWE won the right to establish the Thor Offshore Wind Farm after a draw in December last year. The reason they ended up in the draw was that several companies had submitted equally good bids for the task. The total investment costs for the wind farm are estimated to be approximately 15.5 billion. DKK.
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