Vasa Vind’s Åskälen and Munkflohögen wind farms provide grid support services

Since January this year, Vasa Vind’s plants Åskälen and Munkflohögen in Jämtland have been qualified to deliver the support service `FCR-D down´ to SVK to support the power system in case of excessive frequency. During March, delivery has started within the pilot that SVK is now implementing.

FCR-D down, which stands for “downward Frequency Containment Reserve Disturbance”, is a service that is activated if the frequency in the network exceeds 50.1 Hz. Within a few seconds, the output of a connected plant shall be temporarily reduced in order to stabilize the frequency. Overfrequency in the grid occurs when the demand for electricity is less than the supply. This can occur either when production suddenly increases or when a major consumption facility or export cable fails.

-The increasing share of renewable energy in the system is likely to increase the need for support services. We are pleased to be an early adopter in delivering stability to the power system while contributing to the design of the service from variable generation resources, says Henrik Svahn, operations manager at Vasa Vind.
The work of qualifying for participation in the pilot has been ongoing during the fall and winter and has been a collaboration between Vasa Vind, the wind power supplier Vestas and the respective balance responsible companies Modity and Statkraft for Åskälen and Munkflohögen.

-“There has been good cooperation, with each party contributing its expertise. Not only have there been technical challenges, but we have also had to establish new procedures for communication and weather forecasting, for example. It has been a lot of work but it is inspiring to be among the first to deliver FCR-D down using wind power.says Henrik Svahn.