There was a magical atmosphere as the mist lifted above the 16 wind turbines during the visit of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to the world's northernmost wind park at Havøygavlen in Finnmark in Northern Norway on Monday evening.
The Crown Prince and Princess arrived in Havøysund on the royal yacht Norge around 18.00, in connection with their three-day visit to Finnmark. After visiting the Snøhvit site in Hammerfest and the tidal power plant in Kvalsund, they rounded off the day at the wind mill park at Havøygavlen."The Crown Prince and Princess commented that the wind mill park is a good example of a local community grasping the opportunities renewable energy offers," says Hege Marie Norheim, senior vice president in Hydro Oil & Energy.
She received the royal couple, together with Øystein Jacobsen, general manager of Arctic Wind, when they arrived at Havøygavlen.
Hydro owns 44 percent of the Arctic Wind park, while the Dutch company Nuon owns the remaining 56 percent.
Strong wind
The royal couple also experienced the reason for the choice of Havøygavlen as the site for the wind park. As usual, there was a strong wind, and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit had to put on mittens and scarves to keep warm by the open sea, 71 degrees north.
Indeed the scenery made a strong impression on the Crown Prince and Princess during their visit to Finnmark. The Crown Princess spoke warmly of the splendid voyage along the coast of Finnmark with its mountains and beautiful landscapes.
Focus on wind power
Wind power is becoming an increasingly important area for Hydro. The renewable energy unit in Hydro Oil & Energy is working on several projects in Norway, and is also considering wind power projects in the UK and other countries.
The two present plants at Havøygavlen and Utsira (the world's first power plant based on a combination of hydrogen and wind power) will now be followed up with plans for further developments.