Ashegoda wind farm in Ethiopia with Vergnet’s wind turbines

DNV GL has given wind turbines at the 120MW Ashegoda wind farm in Ethiopia a clean bill of health following an inspection.

The wind turbines by French manufacturer Vergnet at the facility, one of the largest in Africa, were subjected to the company’s A-Design Assessment, which addresses safety, quality and engineering integrity.

The scheme also ensures that wind turbines comply with standards in terms of load assumptions and design. The work on the twin-blade 1MW machines took two weeks.

DNV GL project manager for renewables certification Mersudin Bajric said: “Certification and design validation are essential for technically reliable wind turbines.”

Vergnet project manager Ludovic Dehondt added: “Ethiopia has basic infrastructures with a national electrical grid that is still in build-up phase. Ashegoda is situated in complex terrain at 2200 metres to 2500 metres above sea level. This combination led to quite some organisational and technical challenges, which DNV GL helped to handle.”

Ashegoda will help to reduce the number of blackouts in Ethiopia, which has some of the best wind resources in the world and is aiming for around 7GW of installed wind capacity by 2030.