July 2026

Members’ Successes

Case Study – Lålax: new Axpo wind farm generates more than just electricity

In June 2026, Axpo launched its Lålax wind farm in the Finnish municipality of Vörå. Present at the official ceremony were Finland’s Minister for European Affairs Joakim Strand and representatives from politics, local government and the community. Axpo’s first onshore wind farm in Finland, Lålax is a prime example of how an integrated energy company can leverage internal skills and expertise to establish itself in a new market.

Four wind turbines, one team effort

The wind farm comprises four Vestas turbines, each with a rated capacity of 6.2 MW and a hub height of 134 metres. The facility’s total installed capacity of 24.8 MW can meet the estimated electricity needs of around 5,400 Finnish single-family homes. The pace of the project’s delivery is especially notable: breaking ground to start-up took just eleven months.

Intra-group collaboration key to success

Behind this remarkable achievement lies the structured and methodical division of responsibilities within the Axpo Group. The contribution made by Volkswind, Axpo’s Germany-based wind energy subsidiary, was key to the project’s success. More than three decades experience in wind power development and over 1,600 MW of capacity installed in Germany and France provided a solid foundation for the transfer of its proven approach to the Finnish market.

The local Axpo team in Vaasa handled market development, regulatory liaison and stakeholder relations while the Axpo Nordic trading team manages the commercial side. Electricity generated by the wind farm is fed into the Finnish transmission grid via a dedicated substation and marketed on the power exchange. Day-to-day operational management is the responsibility of Volkswind Service, who ensure the long-term operation of the asset based on standardised processes.

Working with people

However, internal group structures alone do not fully explain the project’s success, says Klaus Heckenberger, Volkswind CEO and Head of Axpo’s Wind Division. “Good wind farms are built by close cooperation with many people. We can deploy our most experienced teams, but the dialogue with municipalities, landowners and local partners also has to work. In the Vörå municipality, we succeeded because all stakeholders were involved on equal terms from the very beginning.”

For the Lålax project, Axpo demonstrated how this approach works in practice. Dialogue with the municipality and landowners began early and continued throughout. Local interests were integrated into the project’s planning from the outset, not factored in after the fact. The same applied to contractors and suppliers: clear agreements and direct communication.

Scalable blueprint for future markets

The success of the Lålax model shows that entering new markets works best when local knowledge, technical expertise, commercial marketing and operations are coordinated from within an integrated group structure rather than applied separately. For a wind industry expanding into ever more complex markets, this is a compelling approach. With established expertise in solar and battery storage, the Axpo Group is also well positioned to develop hybrid projects — combining wind, photovoltaics and storage at a single site — in Finland and beyond.

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Turbine installation for Ecowende wind farm gets underway from Eemshaven

The installation of wind turbines for Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm officially commenced a few weeks ago from the port of Eemshaven. This marks a significant milestone for Groningen Seaports: Hollandse Kust West is the 25th offshore wind farm for which offshore installation activities are being executed from Eemshaven. Construction of the wind farm, located approximately 53 kilometres off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden, had already begun at the Maasvlakte, where the turbine foundations were fabricated at Sif and loaded-out. With the start of turbine installation, Eemshaven now takes on a central role in the project’s execution.

The inter array cables for the wind farm were also manufactured in Eemshaven, at TKF. The final cables departed by ship from Eemshaven during the final week of May, en route to the wind farm, where they will be installed offshore.

Load-out of towers

Over the past months, components for the 52 Vestas wind turbines have been arriving at Buss Terminal Eemshaven via both the Beatrixhaven and Julianahaven. Dozens of tower sections are now staged along the Julianahaven quayside. The towers — roughly the same height as the Martinitoren in Groningen — are lifted aboard Van Oord’s installation vessel Boreas in upright position and transported in the same orientation to the offshore site. Early June saw the first load-out of tower sections take place.

“The start of turbine installation for Hollandse Kust West marks yet another important milestone for Eemshaven. The fact that 25 offshore wind farms are now being supported from our port demonstrates how vital Eemshaven has become to the Northwest European offshore wind sector. We are proud to be contributing alongside Ecowende to a project where innovation, sustainability and ecology come together,” said Bart-Jan Hoevers, CEO of Groningen Seaports.

Ecology and nature restoration playing a central role

Ecowende is internationally recognised as a pioneering project, with ecology and nature restoration playing a central role in the wind farm’s design, construction and operation. Innovative measures are being applied to the turbines to improve protection for birds and bats.

“With the start of turbine installation from Eemshaven, a new phase in the realisation of Hollandse Kust West has begun. The collaboration with partners in Eemshaven, with their extensive and high-quality facilities, is invaluable in this regard. Together, we are building a wind farm that not only generates renewable energy but also sets new benchmarks for nature protection and nature-inclusive offshore development,” said Folkert Visser, Project Director at Ecowende.

Eemshaven has played a key role in the development of offshore wind energy for many years. Wind farms are constructed, maintained and supplied from the port. The combination of deep-draft waterways, available land, specialist companies and a strong maritime supply chain makes Eemshaven an attractive base for large-scale offshore projects. With 25 offshore wind farms now realised, Groningen Seaports reaffirms its position as one of Europe’s leading offshore wind hubs.

More on Groningen Seaports

Webinars

AENAON Open Calls

During this webinar, we will introduce the AENAON project and present the first Open Call round, which will be published in early July. This first round will support the initial validation, integration, and testing of AENAON technologies and services in realistic environments. The session will also include time for questions from participants.

Register below to learn how your organisation can take part in the project and benefit from funding opportunities to support cybersecurity innovation in offshore wind and related critical energy infrastructure.

Join the open call