There is a major problem for every wind farm developed in northern Europe. The wind often continues to blow throughout winter.
The turbines do not always perform as expected because of this.
A new wind farm in Sweden is getting ready for the arrival of winter at its very first start-up.
At Fageråsen in Malung-Sälen, there will be 27 turbines which will each be fitted with specialized cold-climate hardware and anti-ice systems designed to reduce icing losses and improve predictability during harsh Nordic winter conditions.
Fageråsen isn’t getting ready for winter. It’s getting ready to get through it.
Why Fageråsen is attracting attention
Fageråsen is a 189-MW renewable energy project in Sweden.
Construction of the wind farm has already started in the Dalarna region of central Sweden.
Once finished this facility will produce around 550GWH of renewable electrical energy per year.
This amount of renewable energy production will add further capacity to Sweden’s SE3 pricing zone.
OX2 committed approximately 3 billion SEK (approximately 260 million euros) to the project.
The facility will be the first Swedish wind farm to be owned and operated by OX2 upon completion and not sold off after construction.
How these turbines are built differently
Each of the turbines will be manufactured by Nordex.
The wind farm itself is being developed by OX2.
They will each be a Nordex N163/6.X type installed on 119m tall tubular steel towers.
The turbines themselves are typical for contemporary wind development. It is the additional equipment that is unique.
The turbines will feature modifications to allow them to operate in colder climates that have now become commonplace throughout many areas of the Nordic countries.
Each turbine will be equipped with Nordex’s advanced anti-icing technology.
Ice buildup on a turbine can affect its operation in multiple ways.
The ultimate objective of the anti-icing system is to maintain consistency in electrical production despite winter conditions.
Predictable output matters as much as generation
A turbine that is frozen over may not behave like one operating in normal environmental conditions.
As such, both the potential loss of revenue and planning complications can result.
Grid operators, energy traders, and customers all rely on production forecasts. Winter conditions make those forecasts more difficult.
Nordex says the modifications allow for greater reliability and predictability during extreme winter conditions.
While keeping turbines running is one objective, providing consistent predictions of output is another.
Predictable forecasting of output can potentially become as valuable as the actual electricity generated.
What the project says about Nordic wind energy
Fageråsen represents a growing trend within renewable energy development.
The focus of discussions about renewable energy projects is no longer limited solely to adding more capacity to existing grids; rather, attention is increasingly focusing on developing projects that maintain reliable performance under adverse conditions.
The turbines are expected to go online sometime during the first six months of the year 2028.
A 50-MW, 209-MWh battery energy storage system is also being developed alongside the wind farm project.
Designing for winter from the beginning
What may be most instructive about this project is how it addresses designing wind turbines to withstand winter before they even begin generating electricity.
Cold temperatures are not rare events in Sweden; rather, they are an integral component of the operating climate for many wind farms.
Although Fageråsen’s 189MW will draw some attention, the components contained inside the turbines may ultimately prove just as important.
By designing the turbines for winter from inception and having them function through winter conditions, Fageråsen intends to turn winter conditions into a design requirement instead of an obstacle to overcome.
Such thinking could become increasingly prevalent among Northern Europe’s future generation of wind farms.
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