Vestas has secured the first commercial order for its newly launched V182-7.2 MW wind turbine, with Swedish renewable energy company SR Energy selecting the turbine for the 29 MW Staverhult wind farm in southern Sweden.
The order arrives just one day after Vestas officially introduced the V182-7.2 MW to the global market, providing an early commercial milestone for the latest turbine built on the company’s EnVentus platform.
Under the agreement, Vestas will supply, deliver and commission four V182-7.2 MW turbines, representing 28.8 MW of installed turbine capacity, rounded to 29 MW for the project. The contract also includes a 35-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, giving SR Energy long-term support for turbine availability and performance.
Staverhult Wind Farm Targets 2028 Commissioning
The Staverhult project is located in Ljungby municipality, approximately 20 km southwest of Ljungby and around 12 km northwest of Traryd. The project area is mainly forest and wetland, with forestry representing a significant share of existing land use. The site has also been identified in Ljungby municipality’s wind power plan as suitable for wind energy development.
Development of the project has been underway for several years. SR Energy held consultations during the summer of 2020 and submitted its environmental permit application toward the end of that year.
A major milestone arrived in June 2023, when Sweden’s Land and Environment Court granted permits for all four turbines. In October 2023, the Land and Environment Court of Appeal declined to grant leave to appeal, allowing the project’s permit to become legally binding. The permit allows four turbines with a maximum total height of 270 metres.
According to the current development schedule, construction of roads and turbine foundations is planned for 2027, followed by turbine installation during 2028.
The new Vestas order provides a more precise equipment schedule: turbine deliveries are expected to start in the second quarter of 2028, while commissioning is scheduled for the third quarter of 2028.
Readers can find additional project information on the SR Energy Staverhult wind farm project page.
Four V182-7.2 MW Turbines to Deliver 29 MW
Staverhult will be one of the first projects to demonstrate Vestas’ newest onshore wind technology in commercial operation.
Each V182-7.2 MW turbine has a rated output of 7.2 MW, giving the four-machine project a combined rated capacity of 28.8 MW.
The turbine features a 182-metre rotor diameter and a swept area of 26,016 square metres. Its cut-in wind speed is 3 metres per second, while the standard cut-out wind speed is 25 metres per second. Vestas offers hub heights ranging from 109 metres to 170 metres, alongside site-specific tower options.
The V182-7.2 MW is designed particularly to improve generation at lower wind speeds, an important consideration as wind developers increasingly focus on extracting more electricity from each permitted project site.
Vestas says the turbine can deliver 4-6 percent higher annual energy production (AEP) than the V172-7.2 MW, depending on site conditions. The company also expects the larger rotor and drivetrain improvements to reduce the levelised cost of energy.
More technical specifications are available on the Vestas V182-7.2 MW turbine page.
V182 Offers Larger Rotor Without Increasing Rated Power
One of the most significant changes from the V172-7.2 MW is the rotor.
The existing V172-7.2 MW has a 172-metre rotor and 23,235 square metres of swept area, compared with 182 metres and 26,016 square metres for the new model.
That represents an increase of about 12 percent in swept area, while the turbine’s rated capacity remains at 7.2 MW.
Vestas has given the V182-7.2 MW a specific rating of 277 W/m². The larger rotor-to-rating ratio is designed to increase its capacity factor by as much as 2 percent compared with the V172-7.2 MW, enabling greater electricity production during periods of lower wind speeds.
The approach could be particularly valuable for projects where grid capacity, permitting limits or site constraints make simply installing more turbines difficult.
Staverhult Becomes First Commercial Reference for New Vestas Turbine
The timing of the Staverhult order is significant because Vestas launched the V182-7.2 MW only on September 21, 2026.
Rather than developing an entirely new turbine architecture, Vestas has based the machine on its established EnVentus platform. The company says more than 15 GW of EnVentus capacity has already been installed, representing more than 2,000 turbines operating worldwide.
This installed base allows Vestas to introduce improvements to rotor size, energy capture and drivetrain performance while retaining much of an established technology platform.
The company plans to begin serial production of the V182-7.2 MW from the end of 2027, positioning Staverhult among the turbine’s early commercial deployments.
SR Energy Expands Southern Sweden Wind Portfolio
For SR Energy, Staverhult fits its strategy of developing and retaining long-term ownership of renewable energy assets.
The company, previously known as Stena Renewable, says it has 241 wind turbines with capacity to produce 2,727 GWh of renewable electricity. SR Energy also says that since its establishment in 2005 it has retained ownership of the wind farms it has built rather than selling the projects after development.
Peter Zachrisson, CEO of SR Energy, said the company is moving ahead with construction because the combination of strong local wind resources and more efficient turbine technology can increase renewable electricity production in southern Sweden.
The project also has the advantage of already holding a legally effective environmental permit — an increasingly valuable asset in European wind markets where lengthy permitting processes can delay new capacity.
35-Year Service Deal Adds Long-Term Visibility
Another notable feature of the Staverhult contract is its 35-year AOM 5000 service agreement.
The duration means Vestas’ involvement will extend far beyond turbine delivery and commissioning. Long-term servicing is intended to optimise availability and output during the operating life of the wind farm.
For Vestas, Staverhult therefore represents more than a 29 MW equipment order. It provides the first commercial reference for the V182-7.2 MW, establishes a long-duration service relationship and demonstrates the new turbine at a permitted project in a key European wind market.
With construction infrastructure scheduled for 2027, turbine deliveries starting in Q2 2028 and commissioning planned for Q3 2028, Staverhult will be an important early test of whether the V182-7.2 MW’s larger rotor and higher energy capture can translate into stronger economics for low- and medium-wind projects.
SHAFANA FAZAL
