Environmental Engineering Reference
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supported the project. A few interest groups, such as the leisure
sailors associations and the suburban municipalities of Gentofte
and Lyngby-Taarbæk would not budge from resisting. On the
other side the municipality of Copenhagen and a big number of
green organisations as well as the 8 500 members of the windmill
cooperative favoured the project.
At the same time the pilot study showed that Middelgrunden
was well suited for an ofshore wind farm with the existing wind
power technology and regulation. The final approval from the
Danish Energy Agency was given in December 1999, and at the same
time all contracts were signed just before a new energy reform
was to come into force on 1 January 2000. All this was necessary
in order to make the finances of the project work for the owner
cooperative as well as the power utility.
Figure 14.2
Jens Larsen working on Middelgrunden, repairing damage
on the fence on top of foundation (left); repairing damage on
the tower (right).
Now Middelgrunden has been running for more than 10 years
producing more than 100 GWh. It delivers about 4% of the demand
for electricity in Copenhagen. The site has been a popular icon for
wind enthusiasts and developers around the world. Copenhagen
City and people of Copenhagen are very proud of the wind farm.
Former environmental minister Connie Hedegaard called it
“a green landmark” for Copenhagen. Former President Bill Clinton
said flying over Middelgrunden “You are smart—we're not”. What
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