New build to follow dismantling: Wind farm near Jüchen removed due to construction defects

The aim of all those involved is clear: as early as next year, the Jüchen A 44n wind farm is to be newly erected and subsequently produce green electricity for more than 26,000 households. The existing six wind turbines have to be dismantled due to structural defects in the concrete sections of the turbines’ hybrid towers. For safety reasons, the wind farm, which has not yet been handed over to the operators by the manufacturer Nordex, has therefore been out of operation for months. Today, experts brought the damaged wind turbine number 4 safely to the ground with a blast. An important first step so that the foundations for the new wind farm can be laid quickly.

New wind farm Jüchen A 44n

A new wind farm with a capacity of 27 megawatts is scheduled for construction in 2023. After its commissioning, RWE, the town of Jüchen and the energy supplier NEW will jointly operate the wind farm.

Karsten Brüggemann, Managing Director of Nordex Germany GmbH, says: “Today’s dismantling brings us an important step closer to our common goal: the rapid re-erection of the Jüchen wind farm next year. The green electricity generated by the six replacement turbines will be able to meet the needs of more than 26,000 households. My thanks go to the entire team. The dismantling of the turbine was prepared in detail in close coordination with the responsible authorities and accompanied by comprehensive safety measures. These include the extensive cordoning off and the permanent monitoring of the area. Now specialists are taking over the clean-up work. As soon as the original condition of the areas has been restored, construction of the new wind farm can begin.”

Parallel to the clean-up work, the dismantling of the remaining turbines is underway. These will first involve the removal of the main components and the upper tower section, which is made of steel, before the lower concrete section of the towers is brought to the ground in a controlled manner by blasting. This is a common method worldwide for the fast and economical dismantling of concrete structures. The plan is then to reuse the main components such as the nacelle, hub, drive train and rotor blades.

The schedule depends on the weather. Interested parties can find information on the internet at www.rwe.com/windpark-juechen (only in German).