NKT powered up one of the largest onshore wind farms in Northern Europe

Björnberget is one of the largest projects of its kind in Northern Europe and when finished in late 2022, 60 windmills will rise above the pine trees in the middle of the Swedish forest. It goes without saying that such a project demands a long list of distributors. After a thorough selection, which took more than a year, NKT was chosen to deliver all the cables for the entire project.

“When it comes to NKT, we knew we’d get value for our money in terms of product quality. But the real reason why we went with NKT was their extensive experience in this field as well as being a credible, local partner who’s easy to work with”, says Markus Persson, Key Account Manager, Onninen.

NKT was able to meet not only meet the requirements such as cost, volume, and logistics, but also tick some of the ‘softer’ boxes.

Trust and credibility were major concerns for the builder. Our experience with similar projects as well as our great relationship with wholesalers enforced the trust between the builder and NKT. Our customer service and support functions were also a great reason why NKT won the project, as the builder wanted clear and reliable lines of communication throughout the entire process.

Furthermore, NKT can deliver all the different cables needed in a wind farm construction, which makes us a one stop shop for such projects. Our 36 kV medium voltage is built for the Scandinavian climate. The harsh conditions, rocky underground and extreme temperature differences demand cables that can function under these conditions.

AXAL-TT Endurance 3-core & AXALJ-TT 1-core are the medium voltage cables used for these tough conditions to connect the wind turbines. The cables are locally produced in Falun and have been developed and tested to withstand extreme temperature differences, snow, ice, water and harsh ground conditions:

•    Mechanically strong, shock-absorbing multilayer sheath for installation in existing soil

•    Screen wires embedded in conductive polymer material, resulting in a double protection against screen corrosion to insure 100% screen function throughout the lifetime of the cables

•    Easy to handle for fast and straightforward installation

•    Genuine safe cables with 100% metal covering under sheath – touch-safe solution

•    Consists of only one metal (Al) and one polymer (Polyolefin) – The best choice for the environment

•    Is available in 12 kV, 24 kV and 36 kV, either standard length or tailored to your needs

Finally, our Nordic locations and local knowledge were one of the deciding factors. We were always close by and able to deliver the products faster. 

It’s fair to say that our winning combination was great products and great people – close by.

”A demanding project such as this is always a case of making all ends meet. With the client as well as internally in order to deliver the best possible outcome. Everyone from NKT has come together – from customer support to production. This was the largest wind farm order in the history of the Falun factory, and not only did we deliver all the products needed for the project, they were also delivered in due time”, says Mikael Åkerlund, Key Account Manager Utility, NKT (Sweden) AB.

Björnberget is one of the largest wind farms in Northern Europe and is expected to generate 1,1 TWH annually, which will provide 300,000 households with sustainable electricity. Björnberget is developed by RES in collaboration with Enlight Renewable Energy and Prime Capital’s Prime Green Infrastructre Fund.