Introduction

As part of the approval process for the Vesterhav Nord and Vesterhav Syd offshore wind farms, Vattenfall needed to communicate how the projects would impact the surrounding landscape and coastal environment. The goal was to provide citizens, politicians, and other stakeholders with an objective and realistic basis for discussion during the public consultation process.

Challenge

Visual impact is often one of the most debated aspects of offshore wind projects. Inaccurate or misleading visualizations can create uncertainty, opposition, and delays that are costly for both developers and society.

Vattenfall therefore required highly accurate and neutral visual material that could demonstrate how the proposed wind farms would appear from various viewpoints along the Danish west coast. The visualizations needed to be technically correct, transparent, and suitable for use in environmental assessments, public hearings, and regulatory approval processes.

Solution

Working alongside surveying specialists responsible for the underlying landscape data, KIRT x THOMSEN developed a series of enhanced visualizations that accurately illustrated how the wind farms would appear once constructed.

The visual material was incorporated into the official visual impact assessment report and used throughout the public consultation and approval process. By combining precise geographic data with advanced visualization techniques, the project created realistic and trustworthy representations of the future wind farms and their interaction with the surrounding landscape.

Result

The visualizations became an important part of the dialogue between Vattenfall, authorities, politicians, and local communities.

Today, with both wind farms operational since 2024, it is possible to compare the original visualizations with reality. The comparison demonstrates a high degree of accuracy between the predicted and actual visual impact.The report has also become a recognized reference example for visual impact assessments and has been used as a learning example within the Danish Energy Agency and related stakeholder processes.

To learn more, feel free to reach out to: Rune Kirt, CEO of KIRT x THOMSEN at rune@kirt-thomsen.com