Thisted Municipality

The largest wind turbine test area in the world is coming to Thisted

The Danish wind industry is getting the largest test area for wind turbines in world and it is situated in the municipality of Thisted.  Mayor Erik Hove Olesen predicts that this will create new jobs and bring tourists to the area.

The Danish Minister of Environment Troels Lund Poulsen and Mayor Erik Hove Olesen held  a press conference the 30th of February to reveal, that the Danish government had decided that Østerild in Thisted Municipality had been

selected for a new test site for wind turbines. “Through this test centre we are one step closer our goal to establish Denmark as a green winning nation. Denmark must be a nation driven by a strong green economy, where more people are employed in clean tech and where we’re known throughout the world for technological solutions of the highest quality when it comes to addressing climate challenges” said Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

The best in Denmark
According to the Danish Ministry of the Environment all possible Danish areas have been evaluated but only Østerild in Thisted was able to deliver on all demands: Strong wind, room for turbines aligned exactly north to south and with little interference in the life of the locals. Furthermore the area is for the largest part owned by the state, which means that very few people will be forced to move. 1500 ha of forest needs to be cleared and Thisted has requested that this forest will be replanted in the municipality. Preferably near towns and villages to create recreational areas with a strong link to the nature of Thisted.

Large turbines in tests
The actual test area will be 3000 ha or 30 km2 and will be home for up to seven large wind turbines through tests. And the turbines will be large. The Danish Ministry of the Environment expects the industry to test off shore turbines up to 250 meters tall. To put this into perspective the pylons of the Great Belt Bridge are 254 meters at the highest. These turbines will produce vast amounts of electricity but the local energy company, Thy-Mors Energi, is already preparing to the challenge. Today the company handles up to 300 % of actual consumption because of the many turbines in the area, and has the know how to fit even more turbines into the existing grid.