Top Banner
�� ������� �����������������������������������������������QUAY QUESTIONS INVESTMENT PLANS IN DEEP BENEATH THE SURFACE Moving forward ACTION PLANS Cover Sponsor
100
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

� � � � � � � � � � �

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

�����������

QUAYQUESTIONSINVESTMENT PLANS

IN DEEPBENEATH THE SURFACE

Moving forwardACTION PLANS

Cover Sponsor

OW_SUMMER_CVRNEWHR.indd 1 23/6/11 12:35:55Untitled-2 1 24/6/11 16:27:03

Page 2: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

[email protected]

OFFSHORE WIND WAVE ENERGY TIDAL ENERGY

RES Offshore

RES Offshore offers development, engineering, construction and O&M services for utility-scale renewable energy projects.

From offshore wind to wave and tidal, we bring to projects the considerable skills and experience that we have acquired over 25 years in the renewables industry.

EXCELLENCE INPROJECT DELIVERY

RES Offshore 210x297_25112010.indd 1 23/11/2010 15:14:57Untitled-2 2 18/4/11 12:21:56

Page 3: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

3

CONTENTS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

4 Viewpoint

6 Enabling action

The Crown Estate’s role in propel-

ling the industry forward

9 Pivotal period

Alistair Welch on the latest from

Renewable UK

12 All change

Ian D Bonnon looks at future

growth in the offshore market

15 Well equipped

Robert Gerald discusses the special-

ist skill set needed to work in the

marine environment

21 High performance

A glimpse of the Active Stator, a

variable speed drive development

25 Bidding for success

An update on offshore wind installa-

tion and service provider A2SEA

29 Broadening horizons

Foreign investment in Denmark’s

offshore wind industry

32 Training ground

Fife’s ambitions to become a hub for

renewable energy

36 Growing up fast

An engineering consultancy makes a

major renewables acquisition

39 Raising standards

Sally Caswell explains the specialist

services that one company has to

offer

42 Balanced outlook

Teeside’s answer to the challenges

of the offshore wind supply chain

45 Natural resources

Johanna Lagan explains why

Northern Ireland offers excellent

offshore opportunities

49 Top facilities

How Inverclyde is attracting renewa-

bles businesses that are looking to

expand

53 Future development

Steve Welch looks at the facilities

on offer at Cromarty Firth

57 Ready for connection now

Meeting the grid connection chal-

lenges of Europe’s drive for renew-

able energy

65 Site statistics

The Met Office give their analysis of

the wind in key regions

69 Moving forward

Jonathan Reynolds finds out about

new developments at OrbisEnergy

73 Economic solutions

The growth and change surrounding

one diving company

77 Cutting out the bottlenecks

Joseph Ho explains how the turbine

assembly process can be speeded

up

81 Alternative Ulster

Alistair Welch visits a company

that’s diversifying into the offshore

wind sector

85 Making decisions

Laura Hall advises on selecting the

right burial tool for your offshore

windfarm project

90 Filling the gap

Robert Gerald reports on a new

boatshare scheme that offers flex-

ibility

93 Career development

What Siemens are looking for when

recruiting renewables staff

98 Gigawatch

e n g i n e e r i n g

Managing Editor Steve Welch

Consulting Editor Mike Farish

Senior Sub Editor Theone Wilson

Contributors Alistair Welch, Ian D Bonnon, Robert Gerald, Gayle Nicol, Sally Caswell, Johanna Lagan, Neil Lochiel, Jonathan Reynolds, Dave March, Joseph Ho,

Laura Hall

Art Editor Hannah Reid

Business Development Manager Ann Goldthorp

© 2011 Steve Welch Media

Published in association with ENERGY ENGINEERING magazine

by Steve Welch Media, 6A New Street, Warwick,

CV34 4RXUnited Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)1926 408244 Fax: +44 (0)1926 408206

e: [email protected]

For subscription details for OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

please email [email protected] or call +44 (0)1926 408244

ww

w.o

ffsho

rew

inde

ngin

eeri

ng.c

o.uk

� � � � � � � � � � �

��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

QUAYQUESTIONSINVESTMENT PLANS

IN THEDEEPBENEATH THE SURFACE

Moving forwardACTION PLANS

Cover Sponsor

OW_SUMMER_CVR.indd 1 22/6/11 14:29:02

Cover image courtesy of Osiris Marine Services

Contents

Untitled-22 3 22/6/11 17:55:24

Page 4: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Most people will be familiar

with the ‘80:20’ rule of

business. In offshore wind

developments it appears that despite

only accounting for 20 percent of the

cost of a project, cables are responsi-

ble for 80 percent of insurance claims

- and that is a conservative estimate;

the actual figure could be closer to

10:90.

So, what can we do about it and

when should we be making the deci-

sions to act? Fundamentally, what

steps can be taken to reduce cable

risk on a project whilst maintaining

effective cost management? This is

not the place for definitive answers as

these will always be project specific,

but I hope to raise certain pertinent

issues.

The life cycle of offshore wind

projects is well understood, but

often lacking is consideration of cable

‘installability’. This results in a less

than robust approach to risk manage-

ment that leads, ultimately, to insur-

ance claims.

Unfortunately, this scenario plays

out on a consistent basis as a conse-

quence of tighter supply chains and

a sector-wide lack of competence in

cable installation. The remedy is to

identify and mitigate contractual and

installation risk as early as possible

in building a firm base around which

project risk can be managed.

The early stages of any project

will naturally involve consideration of

environmental impact, geological and

soil survey, technology optioneering

and cable routing. At this point the

interface between technical, com-

mercial and environmental challenges

is managed. However, as the relevant

experts tend to come from different

entities with different processes there

is the possibility of disconnection in

this formative stage - the foundations

of the project can be poorly cast.

So, what are the solutions? At

Intertek Metoc we advise that consid-

eration of risk management systems

begins from day one of a project.

Firstly, it is worth developing the

risk management system and risk

register in draft format. This should

include six key elements: technical,

environmental, processes, proce-

dures, resources and interfaces.

Holding regular risk workshops

with key experts in the above areas

which address the risk for each

stage of project delivery is advisable.

Decisions made at this time will influ-

ence the risk profile later in the prod-

uct lifecycle.

When conducting all elements of

work, such as cable routing, use the

processes to manage the interfaces

and evolve the risk management

system organically. Furthermore, be

wary of false economy; you should

recognise that there is no ‘discounted

solution’ - the most effective mitiga-

tion is the one that reduces risk most

cost-effectively compared to the

costs associated with failure.

Finally, a project needs a robust

team, with the right technical exper-

tise working in an integrated manner,

who are fully engaged with the risk

management process and understand

its pivotal role.

The benefits of this approach

should be realised in the early

identification and mitigation of risk,

increased robustness of contract

negotiation and enhanced manage-

ment of installation. By making risk

management comprehensive, starting

early to engender the correct mind-

set, managing it throughout and mak-

ing it a central pillar of decision mak-

ing, a comprehensive understanding

of cost versus risk can be achieved

and ultimately this leads to timely and

cost-efficient offshore wind projects.

www.metoc.co.uk

James Hunt, Head of Offshore Development and Cables at Intertek Metoc, advises on the best approach to risk management

Viewpoint

4

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

Untitled-9 4 22/6/11 13:54:48

Page 5: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Ensuring renewable energy for this generation. And the next.

Intertek METOC is a leading international consultancy providing specialist technical servicesin the marine, coastal and river environments.

> Marine Environmental Consultancy

> Cable Routeing and Engineering

> Site Investigation and Survey Management

> Marine Planning Operations

> Marine Construction Management

Whatever your project requirements, Intertek METOC can offer comprehensive marine expertise that will ensure its success, for generations to come.

Intertek METOC. Where engineering meets the environmentFind out how we can help you, visit www.metoc.co.uk or contact Natalie Griggs;call 01428 727800 or email [email protected]

Untitled-19 1 22/6/11 15:48:57

Page 6: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

6

MONITOR

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

Images courtesy of www.chpv.co.uk The whole business of gaining

consents for the Round 3

offshore wind programme is

likely to cost the companies involved

around £400million. It might cost

more - and take longer - but for a

relatively minor seeming investment of

just £11million by another organisa-

tion that is closely involved, which as

it stresses is neither a developer nor a

utility nor a contractor of any sort.

That is the amount of money

being invested over the period 2010-

16 by The Crown Estate into what

it describes as a series of ‘enabling

actions’ intended to facilitate and

even accelerate the progress of the

whole Round 3 programme towards

actual implementation. The rationale

for the investment is provided by

Chris Lloyd, development manager at

The Crown Estate, who heads up the

initiative. Lloyd explains that while the

developers for each individual project

are focused on the specifics of those

projects there still remains a range of

more generic, ‘strategic’ issues that

are common across the whole of

Round 3. Moreover the very new-

ness of large scale, offshore windfarm

development at the distances from

the shore involved in Round 3 mean

that there is not the pool of relevant

commonplace knowledge and estab-

lished practice that might exist in a

more mature industry.

Lloyd says that The Crown Estate

is ideally positioned within the indus-

try to fulfil this role. He points out,

for instance, that the organisation

has individuals who are delegated to

each of the development consortia

involved in the programme. Hence

it can act to disseminate information

throughout all the consortia whether

that information originates in the spe-

cific experience of a single project or

through broader scale initiatives that

it carries out itself.

According to Lloyd, five general

areas have been identified as appro-

priate for enabling actions to be car-

ried out. These are:

• planning and consenting

• supply chain and skills

• health and safety

• grid and technology

• project economics and finance.

Actions have already been taken in

each one of them and outlays either

made or committed so far have been

considerable. Lloyd says that some

£2.5million was spent last year with

the same amount scheduled to be

Enabling action

Mike Farish discusses the way in which The

Crown Estate is propelling Round 3 forward

Untitled-12 6 22/6/11 14:36:08

Page 7: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

7

MONITOR

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

spent this year. Another £2million

should go next year with a smaller

amount in succeeding year as the

industry transitions through the con-

senting process. Apart from Lloyd,

each of those areas has one fulltime

member of The Crown Estate’s staff

attached to it. Further resourcing,

he says, means that at any one time

the equivalent of around ten people

within the organisation are working

on relevant activities.

Of the initiatives that have taken

place so far the series of supply chain

familiarisation events held around the

UK last year and this have probably

been the most visible. But Lloyd says

a number of others have been car-

ried out. One of them, for instance,

was a survey of birdlife and marine

mammals in the waters involved in

Round 3 that Lloyd believes to have

possibly been the most comprehen-

sive of its type carried out anywhere.

It involved, he says, a hundred aircraft

flights carrying human observers. In

support of this work, he adds, the

organisation also helped fund the

development of some interesting

new technology - in this case a gyro-

scopically stabilised high magnification

camera that allowed for accurate

photography of seabirds without the

aircraft getting too close to them.

Meanwhile, on the health and

safety front Lloyd says that work

carried out under the initiative led

to the identification of a previously

unsuspected problem with the short

wave radios used to support com-

munication with the shore by work-

ers actually on offshore turbines.

Quite simply the combination of the

distances from the shore involved in

many Round 3 installations and the

closeness to the sea surface at which

operations are carried out on such

installations would have meant that

existing devices would not work.

Much of the work has now result-

ed in the publication of various sets

of guidelines that are available from

The Crown Estate’s website. These

include documents relating to aerial

surveys and mammal monitoring.

Interestingly, procedures are already

in place to deal with the possibility

of archaeological finds being made

as Round 3 progresses, though Lloyd

admits that so far none have.

For the future, though, Lloyd antici-

pates that the emphasis of the enabling

actions programme will shift from

aspects concerned with the physical

nature of the sites involved to the com-

mercial viability of the installations that

will be built on them. To this end a

consultation document has now been

produced with details of two projects

that are aimed at developing relevant

business models dealing with total

project costs. One will deal with ‘spa-

tial dependencies’ and the other with

‘cost reduction pathways’. Ultimately,

as Lloyd observes, the cost of energy is

what will determine the success of the

whole programme. As such, an under-

standing how this might vary accord-

ing to location will be of fundamental

importance. Implicitly the need for such

work underlines the extent to which

Round 3 is in every sense advancing

the concept of offshore wind power

generation into completely new areas

for which there is simply no existing

knowledge base. ■

www.thecrownestate.co.uk

Untitled-12 7 22/6/11 14:36:36

Page 8: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

For over a hundred years, we have been designing and developing customised systems to meet your most demand-ing requirements. Based on proven expertise, our solutions are tailored to bring more value to the renewable industry - everywhere in the world.

Our mission is to bring you the best in technology for power conversion based on our own designed and manufactured components:

�� Motors & generators�� Variable speed drives�� Process automation and controls

We offer our capacity for innovation, our experience in global project management, our teams of experts and our tools at the cutting edge of technology to build tomorrow’s solution today.

�������������� ������������������

11_Energy Engineering June 2011.indd 1 15/06/2011 14:57:59Untitled-19 2 22/6/11 15:48:24

Page 9: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

9

DEVELOPMENT

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Pivotal period

Ahead of Offshore Wind 2011, Alistair Welch

visited Renewable UK and discovered that

when it comes to securing the future of the

UK’s offshore wind market, it appears that

cost is everything

The year ahead could prove

to be a pivotal 12 months

in the future of the UK’s off-

shore wind industry according to Paul

Reynolds, offshore wind development

manager at Renewable UK.

Speaking to Reynolds and the

newly appointed head of offshore

renewables Kristina Gamst, the mes-

sage from Renewable UK ahead of

the Liverpool Offshore Wind 2011

event was clear: cost reduction is key

to ensuring commercial viability.

There is a certain nervousness in

the sector following the Committee

on Climate Change’s (CCC) recent

report that cast doubt on offshore

wind’s long-term commercial poten-

tial. “With government cuts and the

treasury reclassifying the ROC subsidy

as public spending there has been

an increased focus on cost, which, in

turn, has led to increased focus on the

sector. If the government thinks we

are too expensive then it potentially

threatens the entire sector,” explains

Reynolds.

“We are an expensive technology;

capital costs have doubled over the

last five years. However, we’ve got

a handle on that and they should go

down from now on,” he continues.

“We are constantly thinking about

cost reduction, always looking at ways

the industry can drive down costs.”

Renewable UK is currently lobby-

ing the government and working with

industry players to ensure that off-

shore wind development continues to

progress. Without government sup-

port, the worst-case scenario is that

manufacturers who have stated their

intention to invest in the UK’s offshore

wind market might renege on their

Images courtesy of www.chpv.co.uk

Untitled-16 9 22/6/11 15:07:56

Page 10: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

10

DEVELOPMENT

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

commitment.

However, the likelihood of such

a gloomy possibility is remote. With

Round 2 projects beginning to reach

maturity and progress being made

all the time on the more ambi-

tious Round 3 sites, offshore wind’s

potential ought to become increas-

ingly visible and increasingly credible.

Nevertheless, it is still incumbent on

those working in the sector to address

the issue of cost reduction in order

to assuage government and public

reticence.

As Reynolds sees the situation,

government policy and cost reduction

mechanisms are inextricably linked.

“The key point for us is that if the

government supports the sector then,

ultimately costs will begin to fall, if they

remove their support then we won’t

see costs coming down substantially.

“Up to this point the sector has

borrowed from onshore turbines and

the oil and gas industry. The next

wave of turbine design should lead to

substantial cost reduction.

The whole process by which we

install and maintain offshore windfarms

is set to get better and better.

“We are number one in the world

at the moment. However, other

European countries, in particular

Germany, are coming up fast and if

we don’t cement our lead and get

investment nailed down then we

could loose that lead.”

The conference at Offshore Wind

2011 will include a session addressing

cost reduction. If the offshore wind

sector is to be sustainable then the

costs associated with it must fall: ‘The

Cost Challenge’ session, chaired by

Duncan Clark, Commercial Manager

of The Crown Estate, will question

how those involved in offshore wind

can contribute to driving down costs.

The June event will also see

Renewable UK release their Offshore

Economics Report. The report will

include cost projections for offshore

developments up to 2022 alongside

outlining the general economic ben-

efits of a mature offshore wind mar-

ket. It is hoped that the report will go

a long way to restoring confidence in

the potential of offshore wind to form

a key part of the UK’s renewables

provision.

“A key goal in moving forward is

the building of economies of scale,”

says Kristina Gamst. Gamst has

recently joined Renewable UK follow-

ing work in civil engineering project

management. Her brief as Head of

Offshore Renewables covers marine

technologies (wave and tidal gen-

eration) in addition to offshore wind.

She believes that increasing efficiency

throughout the offshore supply chain

and building economies of scale are

key factors in tackling cost reduction

within the sector.

“I hope to be a strong presence

in developing best-practice within

the supply chain,” she says. “I have

only been at Renewable UK for two

weeks, but already I am working with

the government on supporting the

ongoing development of the offshore

wind sector.”

In addition to its involvement in

cost-reduction strategy, Renewable

UK is working on improving health-

and-safety protocol for offshore

projects and is compiling a supply

chain charter that will provide best-

practice guidelines for companies

working together.

“We have new developments and

new supply chain interest happening

all the time. I think we are in a good

position. What we really need now

is a clear statement of commitment

from the government,” concludes

Reynolds.

www.renewable-uk.com

Offshore Wind Energy Conference

Images courtesy of www.chpv.co.uk

Untitled-16 10 22/6/11 15:09:03

Page 11: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

WHEN YOU’RE BUILDING THE FUTURE OF ENERGY, YOU NEED A POWERFUL P&RTNER

A&P Energy is a major Engineering Services & Fabrication Group, assisting Wind, Wave and Tidal developers in the exploitation of sustainable energy sources.

Operating from 3 strategic UK locations in Tyneside, Teeside and Falmouth we’re perfectly positioned to support the larger Round 3 Offshore Wind Programme and the Wave Hub Project off the Cornwall coast.

Extensive fabrication facilities, heavy load out quays and deepwater berthing make A&P Energy a powerful partner for the global energy sector.

COME & VISIT US AT RENEWABLEUK OFFSHORE WIND ON STAND 76

WWW.AP-GROUP.CO.UK

14276_ENERGY_297x210.indd 1 13/06/2011 17:23Untitled-19 3 22/6/11 15:47:24

Page 12: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

12

DEVELOPMENT

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

The offshore wind industry in

Europe has recently started

to expand rapidly and, if cur-

rent predictions are correct, this is

set to continue through a phase of

remarkable growth over the next

decade, culminating with offshore

wind becoming a major contributor

to the electricity supply for several

North European counties.

In the UK, the industry is led by

government strategy, with the majority

of windfarm sites allocated by competi-

tive tender within distinct rounds; there

have been three plus one extension

rounds in the UK and one in Scotland

to date. The early allocated sites have

seen projects developed close to shore

and in shallow waters; however this is

set to change with Round 3 in the UK.

The German market is about

to enter a phase of maturity. The

first turbines of the milestone Bard

Offshore 1 project in the North Sea

have recently become operational

and other significant projects are

now in development and build, or

well advanced through the various

planning stages. There is also evi-

dence that the many other countries

throughout Europe are gearing up

for offshore windfarm development,

with the recent announcement by the

French government being a typical

example.

The figure opposite shows future

offshore wind growth predictions for

European countries.

Offshore wind is also progressing

further afield, with the US market look-

ing to have its first projects in the water

during 2013. China already has some

shallow water sites generating power

and around 1,000MW worth of further

sites are in advanced stages of prepara-

tion. Korea has also published plans for

offshore developments.

So, the overall picture seems to be

one of significant growth in the global

industry over the next decade. While

this is extremely positive, there are

some significant challenges to be over-

come if the projected growth rates are

to be achieved.

The most challenging aspect of all

offshore wind development is financ-

ing, because investor confidence is

intrinsically linked to government policy

and incentives. Whilst available invest-

ment funds have improved for new

developments since the credit crunch,

there are doubts about whether there

is enough finance available to support

all of the proposed developments on

a worldwide basis. In addition, while

countries that have consistent policy,

financial tariffs and incentives are

more likely to lead the way in realis-

ing the projected growth, the jury is

still out on what the best approach

is. Technology-specific fixed or semi-

fixed tariff models seem to the cho-

sen financial support mechanism in

Europe but the framework for finding

and offering a suitable tariff price is

still a matter of debate and getting it

wrong can have catastrophic results.

As markets mature then innova-

tion in financing offers further oppor-

tunities for investors. This is likely to

be the case with offshore wind in the

longer term and already there are

new approaches underway. Currently

the re-financing of windfarms once

they have reached operation is

attracting investors; this approach

removes the main construction risks

for investors and, for developers,

frees up cash to invest onto their

next windfarms.

Another major industry issue is the

lack of qualified and experienced peo-

ple. The current situation is that projects

are stretched when it comes to finding

people available with the right qualifica-

tions and solid experience and clearly

this will become exaggerated as we go

into the predicted period of unprece-

dented growth. Other feeder industries,

such as offshore oil and gas, are already

experiencing similar problems as a

result of an ageing skills base in a volatile

market. The investment in people and

training must begin immediately as it is

critical to realising the projected industry

growth. Failure to do this is potentially a

very serious issue.

Consenting still remains a long and

drawn out process, especially in the UK

and the US. Consent for the recent

All changeIan D Bonnon, Senior Vice President and Head

of Offshore Wind at GL Garrad Hassan, looks

at future growth in the offshore market

Untitled-2 12 22/6/11 10:08:03

Page 13: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

13

DEVELOPMENT

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Humber Gateway project in the UK

marked the end of a barren period of

24 months, during which not a single

offshore windfarm in the UK received

consent. Streamlining the process and

reference to research and develop-

ment projects on environmental issues

will hopefully help in the future.

Supply chain issues have long been a

problem for the offshore wind industry.

In the past, a shortage of installation

vessels, offshore turbines, offshore sub-

station transformers and high voltage

subsea cables have all given concern

as potential road blocks to smooth

development plans. There is evidence

that as the European industry starts to

mature then some of these issues are

being tackled. However, there is little

doubt that careful advanced planning is

essential to avoid any problems during

the development phase of a project. In

many cases this involves placing reser-

vation orders for key components and

services up to two years in advance.

A variety of contract models have

been tried over the recent years: the

early experience of turbine supplier led

EPCs has given way to models where

a number of contractors are appointed

(typically five to seven major contracts)

and the developer, with the assistance

of a project management contractor

in some cases, then takes responsibil-

ity for co-ordinating the supply and

installation of the offshore windfarm.

This second approach reduces contract

costs; however a large part of this sav-

ing must be invested into the large

management team needed to ensure

construction progresses smoothly and

successfully. Various announcements

have been made regarding potential

EPC offerings. Of current projects, only

Greater Gabbard in the UK is being

built under an EPC contract, though

excluding the turbine supply in this

case. It would seem likely that a variety

of contract forms will continue to be

used, depending on project owner

capability and appetite.

Overall, the offshore windfarm

industry is on the cusp of massive

growth and development. The issues

for those working within the industry

are to manage the challenges of achiev-

ing this remarkable projected expan-

sion whilst also providing a safe envi-

ronment for all involved. The rewards

will be to contribute to the birth of a

major new energy industry which we

will surely look back at with pride as

the pioneers of a new age in energy

production. The current revolution in

offshore wind energy is comparable to

any of the previous shifts in energy pro-

duction seen over the last century.

www.gl-garradhassan.com

Untitled-2 13 22/6/11 10:10:20

Page 14: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

One of the leading Underwater Engineering Specialists forRenewable Energy ProjectsProviding quality and safety is our priority.

Commercial Diving Subsea EngineeringRenewable Energy ROV ServicesSurveys, Inspections, Repairs

CALL +44 (0)1535 631141I N F O @ O S I R I S M A R I N E S E R V I C E S . C O MW W W . O S I R I S M A R I N E S E R V I C E S . C O MUnit 2a Sabella House, The Crossings Business ParkRiparian Way, Cross Hills, Nr Skipton, Yorkshire BD20 7BW

Untitled-19 4 22/6/11 15:46:49

Page 15: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

15

COVER STORY

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Well equipped Working in the marine environment requires a

specialist skill set - Robert Gerald finds out more

Osiris Marine Services is a

varied organisation. The

company carries out eve-

rything from civil engineering works

to installation services and their to-do

list could include general construc-

tion, welding, underwater inspection

or cutting out obsolete structures.

In the offshore wind section of the

business, though, the tasks undertak-

en are often cable support services

and tower access.

“We have personnel who are

both divers and riggers who conduct

cable pulls and look after activities

on the surface of what’s going on

while the diver can be in the water

at the same time,” says Aiden West,

Managing Director of Osiris.

Established 16 years ago, the

group has been heavily involved in

the offshore wind sector for the

last six to seven years. The sector

has its own division within the com-

pany, with multiple teams working

on projects, and represents 50-60

percent of the group’s turnover. “As

a company, it is the most desirable

type of work we do,” says West.

The current team is made up of a

mixture of full-time employees and

contract workers. At the moment

there are about 40 sub-contractors

and a dozen permanent staff. This

is because in the marine environ-

ment companies need to be able to

expand to their client’s requirements

but also to contract when there is

less activity.

The group has worked off the

coast of Belgium and all round the

UK - essentially, they are equipped

to work anywhere but mainly focus

on the UK offshore wind market. In

part this is because the UK and other

countries with more offshore inter-

ests have high safety standards that

may not be replicated elsewhere.

The past year has seen Osiris

invest hugely in its resources and

equipment. The company has a new

indoor unit of 16,000ft2 and another

outdoor space of the same size. This

has given Osiris the ability to do a

lot of in-house preparation. “We

can now fabricate a lot of what we

need. We can take a contract or

a tender and look at it and know

which elements we can immediately

do in-house. That is the aim of the

company - to provide this overview,

a one-stop service so the client is

dealing with just one phone number,”

West states.

In terms of equipment, the group

has spent £380,000 on bespoke

equipment, including large launch and

recovery systems to give a means of

transferring a diver into the water

and recovering him safely. “We have

three of these systems now - state-

of-the-art stainless steel winches,”

adds West. “Our new equipment

makes a whole range of opera-

tions possible. When working in the

renewables sector you have to up

your game in terms of procedures

and equipment because larger wind-

farms have more sustained require-

ments.”

Osiris has a continuous process

of reinvestment, with 75-80 percent

of the net profits going back into

the equipment every year. This has

allowed steady growth for the past

decade and means that there is

enough equipment to provide back-

Untitled-14 15 22/6/11 14:39:08

Page 16: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

16

COVER STORY

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

up on the job. In fact, the company

has three times the equipment that it

needs to ensure that there will be no

delays due to equipment failure.

With health and safety being a

pressing concern, some develop-

ers are moving away from diving.

However, West is confident that his

team will always operate according

to strict health and safety procedures.

“Diving is viewed as risky but work-

ing on the surface is also a huge

risk - more people are being hurt

above the water line than below,”

he argues. “We have so many pro-

cedures and a team of very experi-

enced, highly qualified divers who will

not entertain anything that is unsafe.”

He also emphasises that developers

have to separate out what they want

economically and balance this with

safety requirements, because safety

does not come cheaply. For exam-

ple, if Osiris needs more men to

improve safety they will request this

-their requirements may include extra

supervisors or people on standby.

Interestingly, Osiris has worked on

nine different windfarms and at least

six of these had a stated ambition

of no divers. In West’s experience,

though, operating without a div-

ing team is likely to lose developers

money in the long term. It could hold

up the windfarm if operators then

discover - as is likely - that in fact

they do need divers. In this scenario

other vessels will have to wait while

developers create a budget, find the

divers, get them inducted and get

them in the water; companies can

lose money very quickly in this way.

The best solution, says West, is to

have divers doing other things but to

have them present. To this extent,

Osiris is now providing cross-trained

personnel who started out as divers

but are now qualified riggers or can

drive smaller inspection ROVs.

While ROVs are used for inspec-

tion purposes, West notes that unlike

a diver, they can’t touch something

or look at it as closely. Whereas an

ROV can give a quick overview, a

Untitled-14 16 22/6/11 14:39:47

Page 17: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

17

COVER STORY

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Untitled-14 17 22/6/11 14:41:08

Page 18: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

18

COVER STORY

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

diver can have a conversation with

you. ROVs have sonar on board but

you need very large ROVs to exceed

the conditions in which a diver can

work. Additionally, an ROV can be

affected by the current just as much

as a diver and costs a lot of money.

Across the board, West has found

that there is no set way of work-

ing that meets every client’s needs,

meaning Osiris has to be flexible.

“We work 24 hours, seven days a

week,” he says. “Some clients only

want you to work in daylight, some

don’t want to do transfers at sea - it

depends very much on the client.

We are currently involved in three

offshore wind projects working to

three different sets of criteria.”

Like all work in the offshore sec-

tor, diving is affected by weather

conditions. However, it is not so

much winter and summer that create

downtime but rather wave height

and tidal speed, which may vary

regardless of the season. “We have

a maximum working wave height

of 1.5m when not using a cage,”

explains West. “It’s all tied up with

the diver launch and recovery - once

he’s in, he won’t be affected if it’s

deep, but we will have to get him

out safely. We can work in a tide

speed of up to 0.8knots.”

It’s important that the company

closely monitors the speed and direc-

tion of the tide. This may be different

in different sections of the windfarm,

particularly with the larger sites now

being built. “If the tide is hitting the

monopile then it can affect you once

you leave the protection afforded

by the structure. With the larger

windfarms there might be flat water

in one location but not elsewhere,”

West confirms.

Round 3, West concludes, is going

to be “a wake-up call” with excep-

tionally high costs for developers. For

the other companies involved, there

may be a lot of consolidation as the

work will go to the best providers.

Smaller companies will need to be

cost-effective and to maintain good

relationships with developers - both

areas in which Osiris is certain it can

provide the best solutions for its

clients.

“For offshore wind, the basic for-

mula is in place - a wind turbine on

top of a tower,” says West. “We are

never going to change this concept

although there will be alterations in

size and foundations. However, ener-

gy is not going to be cheap anymore

and there will be big changes in the

way this works.”

www.osirismarineservices.com

Untitled-14 18 22/6/11 14:41:41

Page 19: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Pushing the boundaries is in our DNA.The MPI Resolution, the world’s first purpose-built vessel for installing offshore wind turbines is soon to be joined by our newly commissioned sister ships: MPI Adventure and MPI Discovery.

Complemented by our MPI Workboats we truly are experts in offshore wind turbine installation.

For more information about what we do contact us on+44 (0) 1642 742200 or visit www.mpi-offshore.com

Continuing on our pioneering course.

Powering the Future

MPI_EnergyEngineering_A4_0111.indd 1 25/1/11 10:54:52OW_winter.indd 11 25/1/11 12:01:39

Page 20: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Multibeam Bathymetric Surveys

Side-Scan Sonar Mosaics

Geophysical Survey & Interpretation

Magnetometer Surveys

Cable Route & Pipeline Inspection

Seabed Geomorphology

Grab Sampling & Laboratory Analysis

Marine Archaeology

Precise Positioning Services

ROV & Drop-Down Video Surveys

Mobile Laser Scanning

Oceans Of Ingenuity.... Aspect Land & Hydrographic Surveys is an ISO 9001: 2008 accredited

company offering a full range of hydrographic, geophysical, oceanographic,marine environmental & topographic survey services, with expertise incombining all disciplines into single projects.

We have an excellent proven track record of providing surveying solutionsto the Renewable Energy sector. To date, numerous projects have beencompleted for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy schemes as well asonshore wind farms and hydro-electric power plants.

Projects have been undertaken in some of the remotest parts of the UKwithin the most demanding and challenging environments, as are oftenrequired for renewable energy devices.

With a team of highly professional, experienced and dedicated staff wecan undertake projects of any size or nature. Continuous investment instate-of-the-art equipment and software ensures that we remain at theforefront of our profession.

By developing long term, professional relationships with our clients we havebuilt a reputation for reliability, integrity and excellence.

Please contact us to discuss your project requirements and we will provide you withinformed, professional advice and a competitive no-obligation quote.

Renewable Energy Sector

Surveying Solutions for the

EE££_ads.indd 27 22/2/11 14:19:07

Page 21: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

21

INNOVATION

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

High performance

The experts at

Converteam give a

brief introduction to

the Active Stator

The ability of a commercial

engineering company to

remain competitive in difficult

financial markets is heavily depend-

ent on the quality of its technical

expertise and management support

in pursuing innovative solutions that

deliver improved performance to

the end customer. Converteam has

demonstrated its ability to follow this

market led approach in the past, and

the Active Stator development is

one of its latest examples, aimed at

several of Converteam’s core markets

such as renewable power generation

as well as one of its more traditional

sectors, marine propulsion.

Active Stator is a variable speed

drive (power electronic converter

plus rotating machine) development

aimed at delivering improved power

density, efficiency and reliability whilst

remaining cost competitive and meet-

ing, or preferably exceeding, the per-

formance of the current generation

of drives.

Power density is improved by

integrating the rotating machine and

the associated power electronic con-

verter, thereby minimising duplication

of functions and simplifying interfaces.

Also, unlike conventional machines,

Active Stator employs trapezoidal

current waveforms and air gap flux,

and near unity power factor, maximis-

ing the exploitation of the machines

active material.

Power density and efficiency are

improved by employing a power

electronic converter topology

that permits natural commutation

whenever possible, but permits

forced commutation when beneficial.

Unlike a voltage source pulse width

modulated drive, the converter

operation switching frequency is equal

to stator fundamental frequency, the

latter being a function of machine

topology, and being minimised so as to

reduce the size, complexity and power

losses of switching components.

Efficiency and reliability are

improved by employing simple, robust,

whole wafer, compression mounted

power semiconductor devices with a

low forward voltage drop.

Early development of the Active

Stator concept was part funded by

the Technology Strategy Board and

carried out by Converteam in col-

laboration with Dynex Semiconductor

Ltd and the University of Nottingham.

A significant interim deliverable was

the 150kW Active Stator demonstra-

tor. This low power demonstrator

has been installed and tested at both

University of Nottingham, on an AC

grid, and at Converteam’s Electric

Ship Technology Demonstrator, on a

DC grid. The low power of the dem-

onstrator made it relatively easy to

connect a load machine to the

Active Stator drive under test, and

successfully demonstrate steady state

and transient behaviour with a view

to Active Stator’s two target markets

of marine propulsion and the poten-

tially much larger market of direct

drive wind turbine generators, both of

which operate at low speed and have

a quadratic steady state torque versus

speed characteristic.

The first commercial Active Stator

machine was ordered by the UK

Ministry of Defence. In this case

emphasising power density as a

key requirement, Converteam has

designed and is building the Advanced

Propulsion Motor (APM), a machine

that is up to three times more power

dense than previous generations

of marine propulsion motor but

without sacrificing other aspects of

performance. To maximise power

density the machine is liquid dielectric

cooled. The wound rotor is illustrated

in figure one.

BELOW Figure 1: Liquid Cooled Wound Rotor for APM

Untitled-6 21 21/6/11 17:06:20

Page 22: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

22

INNOVATION

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

BELOW Figure 2: DECC 3 MW Active Stator

PMGs in B2B Configuration

The second (and third) com-

mercial Active Stator machine(s) are

being designed and built on a UK

Department of Energy and Climate

Change (DECC) supported contract.

The contract will deliver two 3MW

direct drive Active Stator Permanent

Magnet Generators (PMGs) that will

be connected and tested in a Back-

to-Back (B2B) configuration.

Emphasising increased power den-

sity, the direct drive PMGs will be 20

percent smaller than equivalent three

phase machines, but that increase in

power density could be traded for

increased efficiency, and therefore

reduced through life costs.

In all variable speed drives, the

power electronic converter is, relative

to the machine, the more complex

component, and offers the greater

opportunity for improving overall drive

reliability. In Active Stator, the integrated

power electronic converter is immersed

in liquid dielectric for cooling. (see

figure three). This has the advantage of

significantly increasing the power density

of the electronic commutator, but it

also removes it from the influences of

the external environment (temperature

and humidity changes, particulate

contaminants, etc.) This allows the

electronic commutator to be integrated

with the machine, regardless of the

environment the machine is installed

in, and helps improve electronic

commutator reliability.

Electronic commutator reliability

is also improved by the “keep it sim-

ple” strategy. As part of the work to

improve overall drive reliability, the

Active Stator gate card has a reduced

component count relative to the gate

card of an equivalent (current gen-

eration) voltage source drive, and

there are fewer of them. Published

studies have shown four times

improvement in reliability for Active

Stator drives relative to equivalent

voltage source drives.

As mentioned previously, the 150

kW demonstrator has already been

tested on an AC and DC grid. For

connection to AC grids Active Stator

is available with a network bridge

employing a PWM strategy that con-

trols the current harmonics injected

by the drive into the grid and meets

the UK (G5/4) guidelines.

Active Stator is also compatible with

DC grids, and is a key component of

Converteam’s Fully DC Architecture.

Moving to a fully DC Architecture can

provide significant advantages: reduced

CAPEX; and reduced OPEX and

therefore increased revenue. Moving

the conversion from AC to DC closer

to the generator can increase the ben-

efit. Active Stator facilitates a fully DC

Architecture.

As Europe engages itself not only

in a very ambitious expansion of

renewable power generation (offshore

and onshore wind, wave and tidal)

but also in grid configuration (super

grid), Active Stator PMG is an ideal

candidate for future large offshore and

onshore wind turbines. ■

www.converteam.com

RIGHT Figure 3: Active

Stator Electronic Commutator

Stack (suitable for liquid dielectric

immersion)

Untitled-6 22 21/6/11 17:07:10

Page 23: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

02489_EE_Q&A_without_Product_A4_size-v1 AW OL.indd 1 19/10/2010 15:08Untitled-1 17 25/10/10 09:43:57

Page 24: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Anyone can hire a vessel.

Having the right people and knowhow is what makes it a success.

www.A2SEA.com

Untitled-19 5 22/6/11 15:46:09

Page 25: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

25

INSTALLATION

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Bidding for success

Theone Wilson speaks to

a company that’s developing a

presence in offshore wind

Offshore wind installation and

service provider A2SEA

has recently seen more

and more interest in its work from UK

Round 3 developers. “It started out

with initial meetings with the different

offshore zones three years ago and

then more meetings after the zone

winners were announced. We’re start-

ing to pick up this year with more solid

discussions which hopefully will lead

to further commitments during next

year or 2013,” says Ole Jacob Nielsen,

Business Development Manager at

A2SEA.

It’s a far cry from the early days of

offshore wind, when there were only

one or two projects to bid for each

year and only one major competitor for

A2SEA. In the last five years, both the

number of projects and the number of

competitors has steadily increased, and

A2SEA is now working on a range of

different windfarms. At the moment

its main jobs are foundation work on

the London Array windfarm and install-

ing the 5MW REpower turbines at

Ormonde; A2SEA is also involved at

the Sheringham Shoal project, where

the group will carry out turbine instal-

lation, managing the 3rd party vessel

GMS Endeavour. This proves A2SEA’s

capabilities in managing the installation

and the full marine spread.

Established in the year 2000 as a

one-man entrepreneurial company,

the group has grown rapidly. Its head

office and main support functions are

in Fredericia, Denmark, but the com-

pany now has a presence in Germany

and the UK. The group’s swift success

is perhaps highlighted by the fact that

in the summer of 2009 Dong Energy

Group bought 100 percent of its shares.

In order to secure further investments

this move was followed by Siemens

Wind Power taking a 49 percent stake

in the company; by the end of this year

the company’s shares will be split 51/49

percent between Dong Energy Group

and Siemens Wind Power.

Currently offering transport, instal-

lation and servicing of offshore wind-

farms, A2Sea’s fleet is comprised of

four units. Two of these are self-pro-

pelled vessels, which can stabilise on

the seabed but cannot jack out of the

water. The others are jack-up barges,

which are not self-propelled but can

jack fully out of the water. The group

has also placed an order for a new

second-generation installation vessel,

which is being built at the moment and

will be delivered in the third quarter

of 2012.

“We will be a key player in the

market by developing the right skills

and investing in the right vessels, and

we will increase the scope when it

comes to managing projects,” says

Nielsen. Operations and maintenance,

an area that is becoming more and

Untitled-3 25 21/6/11 15:56:04

Page 26: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

26

INSTALLATION

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

more important to the market as more

turbines are installed, is of particular

interest. “We’ve had a number of

service jobs during the years and can

only expect that service operations and

maintenance will become an increas-

ingly important part of the business,”

Nielsen explains. He adds that the key

players in the industry need to consider

this side of things more carefully, but he

expects progress soon to be made as

sites move further offshore and more

turbines get in the water.

In Nielsen’s opinion, Round 3 will

raise a number of other pressing issues.

In order to have the right equipment,

bring down costs and move towards

making offshore wind competitive with

lower subsidy, he suggests there has

to be a platform whereby the utility

companies or the windfarm owners

can give a long-term commitment to

the supply chain. “Looking back there

have been very short-term commit-

ments and that has meant having to

modify existing equipment,” he states.

“Hopefully Round 3 will not be split

into too many small projects otherwise

the potential for this will be lost.”

Companies in the supply chain may

also have to alter their working meth-

ods to gain maximum benefit from the

work on offer. A2SEA has an idea for

this - a ‘taskforce approach’. This means

simply integrating part of the supply

chain process. “We would like to be

able to offer, together with partners, a

complete management of the marine

spread so that you get installation of

cables, foundations and turbines in one

package. We won’t be offering design

or steelworks but will offer an installa-

tion package from one company - us

- which owns and operates the equip-

ment and has the necessary experi-

ence,” Nielsen clarifies. This interface

management will mean that everyone

is working towards a common goal; the

company will be able to move equip-

ment and resources around and use

them in the best possible manner.

Involving the supply chain as early as

possible will also be key to efficiency in

Round 3. “We still haven’t really seen

this happen, but a lot of mistakes can

be avoided with earlier involvement of

the supply chain,” says Nielsen. “It gives

time to choose the right equipment,

plan the project and plan the resources

needed.”

With work on the Round 3 zones

taking place simultaneously, opera-

tors need to ensure that there will be

enough capacity to carry out all the

work. Currently, Nielsen confirms, the

orders placed see a sufficient balance

between supply and demand for ves-

sels. However, future business will be

affected by the speed at which Round

3 moves - how fast will these projects

be constructed? For example, in many

cases developers are realising that they

will need access both to vessels and to

personnel with the relevant expertise

to operate the vessels; there are only a

limited number of these available.

The most important matter, though,

is that the cost of offshore wind needs

to be brought down so that the industry

becomes commercially competitive.

Government subsidies are likely to

decrease and this means that cost

reduction is high on the agenda. Turbine

costs, in particular, can be brought down

by getting more megawatts out of one

turbine; increased size and efficiency

will mean a more streamlined industry.

In practical terms, this means installing

heavier, larger components in deeper

water at the same cost as today.

“The weather is the main challenge

to this - as we move deeper offshore

we can only expect worse weather

conditions,” says Nielsen. “As a com-

pany we are considering how we can

increase the criteria to which we work

to become more effective throughout

the year. We have a 24-12-24-12 aim:

to load a full vessel in 24 hours, install

a turbine in 12 hours (including jack up,

installation, jack down and reposition-

ing), take 24 hours maximum time from

mechanical installation until the turbine

is ready to produce power and install

all components in minimum 12m/s

wind. We need to increase our wind

and wave criteria - then we would get

more days out of the year. It’s definitely

possible.”

As a young industry, the technol-

ogy used in the offshore wind sector is

not yet fully developed. Nielsen hopes

Untitled-3 26 21/6/11 15:57:29

Page 27: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

27

INSTALLATION

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

to see some new foundation designs

emerging over the next few years.

“The right foundations for the future

have not yet been found,” he states.

“Jackets are going to be a major part

of foundations. We will also need new

equipment to install them.” A2SEA

is also looking at how the installation

and O&M vessels of the future will be

designed. Smaller vessels to transfer

personnel will be required but over-

all transportation will, Nielsen says,

“require something different.” Future

jack-ups may have flexible accommoda-

tion modules on board; there could be

hotel vessels deployed or the windfarm

itself might have accommodation set

up. Another solution would be to cre-

ate a floating port out at sea for the

smaller vessels. At this stage only time

will tell which is the best idea.

While lessons can be learnt from

the oil and gas industry, Nielsen

emphasises that this is not the same

sector. Essentially, there is not the same

amount of money available. In some

areas, such as health and safety, the oil

and gas industry can show the way,

but the specific conditions and require-

ments of the offshore wind sector

must be held in mind. The main point

is that in contrast to oil and gas, the

offshore wind industry and its supply

chain still have a long way to go before

they are fully mature.

At the end of 2010 A2SEA enjoyed

a market share of around 50 percent;

with six to eight major competitors

in the marketplace now, though, the

competitive landscape is changing

dramatically. The company’s main

markets are still in Northern Europe,

with the UK leading the way followed

by Germany, the Netherlands, France,

the Mediterranean and Scandinavia.

However, the Asian and the US mar-

kets are also rapidly pulling forward.

Both Nielsen and A2SEA know that

the industry and the market on which

the business depends are changing fast

- but it looks like A2Sea is also moving

with the times. Nielsen concludes: “We

have the experience, the know-how

and the people to help bring down the

cost of energy and keep projects on

track - we are a very good choice if you

value safety, adaptability and experi-

ence.” ■

www.a2sea.com

Untitled-3 27 21/6/11 15:58:17

Page 28: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Fife is at the heart ofScotland’s low carbon futureFife is set to lead the way in a number of renewable and low carbon technologies including offshore wind, carbon capture & storage and hydrogen fuel cells.

World class R&D facilities at St Andrews University, a highly skilled workforce and exciting new developments like the Hydrogen Office make Fife an integral part of Scotland’s renewable energy offer.

The combination of an excellent engineering supply chain and world class facilities including the Energy Park, home to BiFab, make Fife the natural choice for companies aiming to supply the massive offshore wind market in the North Sea.

To find out more about location or supply chain opportunities visit our website www.investinfiferenewables.co.ukor contact Barbara Whiting on 08451 555555 ext 492184or [email protected]

Renewables

Untitled-19 6 22/6/11 15:43:43

Page 29: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

29

INVESTMENT

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Broadening horizons

Invest in Denmark and the Offshore Centre

Danmark are working together to attract foreign

investment in the country’s offshore wind industry

Offshore Centre Danmark

(OCD) is to join forces

with Invest in Denmark

in an attempt to market the

Scandinavian country’s offshore wind

energy sector to foreign companies.

Invest in Denmark, an offshoot of

the Danish Ministry of Foreign affairs,

exists to attract foreign investment

in knowledge-intensive areas of the

Danish economy. The organisation

plans to use OCD’s November

event “Offshore Wind International

Business2Business” (OWIB) as a plat-

form to market the country’s growing

offshore wind market to international

companies.

“OWIB is one of the largest

events in the offshore wind sector

and is the obvious venue for Invest

in Denmark to enter into a dialogue

with foreign companies. The idea

of gathering operators, producers,

suppliers, energy companies and

advisors for a kind of speed dating

is unique, and we see the event as

an obvious opportunity to market

Denmark internationally,” explains

Invest in Denmark Project Manager

Kim Schultz.

He continues: “Denmark enjoys

a high status among other countries

in the offshore wind sector and it

is clear that we should seize this

opportunity to market our country

to companies abroad with a view

to having them establish themselves

in Denmark. Our aim is to create

Danish jobs in this rapidly growing

sector.”

OWIB is an international forum

where companies can conduct infor-

mal meetings with new suppliers

market themselves to potential cus-

Untitled-7 29 22/6/11 13:18:38

Page 30: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

30

INVESTMENT

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

tomers. Participants at the OWIB are

provided with a list of all those who

have signed up. They can then ask to

have meetings with representatives

from specific businesses, energy com-

panies or industry organisations.

Leading turbine manufacturers

Vesats and Siemens Wind Power,

both of whom attended last year’s

event, will again be present along-

side energy companies DONG and

Vattenfall plus a number of interna-

tional sub-suppliers.

“We are very pleased that Invest

in Denmark is involved in this year’s

OWIB because it underlines the

international appeal of the event. Last

year, 2,200 contacts and appoint-

ments about further meetings were

made in the course of one single

day. There is no doubt that Invest

in Denmark will obtain many rel-

evant contacts, and we consider

this to be a seal of approval for our

event,” comments OCD Renewables

Manager Morten Holmager.

Offshore Centre Danmark is a

national knowledge and innovation

centre for the Danish offshore sec-

tor. Since the centre was founded in

2003, it has organised conferences

and networking events and initiated

development projects with a view

to strengthening development and

employment in the offshore sector.

Participation in international collabo-

rations such as POWER cluster and

South Baltic OFFER ensures that the

spotlight is turned on to opportuni-

ties for international collaboration in

the wind turbine sector.

OWIB 2011 will take place on 9

November in Esbjerg, Denmark. The

emphasis of the event is on network-

ing between companies working

within the offshore sector. The event

is visited by business form all levels

of the supply chain including: devel-

opers; manufacturers; installers and

construction, engineering and service

companies.

www.investindk.com

www.owib.dk

Untitled-7 30 22/6/11 13:19:08

Page 31: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

– Irish Sea offshore wind farm logistics

– Design and build of turnkey substation platforms and foundations

– Next generation turbine foundations

– Design and build of metmast platforms and foundations

– Prototype and mass production of other marine renewables

T: +44(0)2890 534389E: [email protected]

CONTACT

– Irish Sea offshore wind farm logistics

– Design and build of turnkey substation platforms and foundations

– Next generation turbine foundations

– Design and build of metmast platforms and foundations

– Prototype and mass production of other marine renewables

T: +44(0)2890 534389E: [email protected]

CONTACTUntitled-19 7 22/6/11 15:43:00

Page 32: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

32

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

Training ground

Along the Firth of Forth,

colleges, industry and

the council are working

together as Fife aims

to become a hub for

the renewable energy

economy. Alistair Welch

visited the region to

learn more about the

schemes in place to

promote relevant skills

and knowledge

Untitled-1 32 22/6/11 09:58:47

Page 33: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

33

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Methil waterfront in Fife is

typical of the industrial

landscape along the Firth of

Forth: the quays, warehouses and fac-

tories associated with the area’s heavy

engineering heritage. However, the

dock is also representative of a willing-

ness within the region to harness the

potential of renewables.

Burntisland Fabrications (better

known as BiFab) has one of its manu-

facturing facilities here. The company,

which built its reputation on fabrica-

tion for the offshore oil and gas indus-

try, is now a key player in the offshore

wind sector with a number of sig-

nificant contracts to produce turbine

jackets. In order to meet the demands

of this new sector the company needs

to ensure it continues to attract and

employ people with the right skills.

Furthermore, down the waterfront

sits the Hydrogen Office - a project

designed to support the develop-

ment of renewable, hydrogen fuel cell

and energy storage technologies in

Scotland, as well as provide an educa-

tional resource for local schools.

Education and training are at the

forefront of efforts to develop the

region of Fife into a Scottish and UK-

wide hub for excellence in renewable

energy. The council (Invest in Fife

Renewables), higher education colleg-

es and industry are working together

to develop a skills-base to meet the

requirements of an evolving energy

market.

Fife’s two main colleges, Carnegie

and Adam Smith, have devised a

range of apprenticeships and techni-

cal training programmes to equip the

workforce with key skills for local

industry.

Speaking to journalists at Carnegie’s

recently opened Whitlock Energy

Collaboration Centre, the centre’s

chief Jim Brown explained that the

college’s apprenticeship courses had

been developed in dialogue with

industry to ensure they were tailored

to their particular requirements.

“Collaboration is the key word: our

courses respond to what employers

need. The goal of the centre is to

gear up the workforce to meet future

opportunities in the energy sector. “

Situated on Carnegie’s Rosyth cam-

pus, the Energy Centre, which focuses

on sustainable engineering and renew-

able energy, is just yards away from

the large facility of engineering support

services company Babcock. Babcock,

an international company with a wide

portfolio of activities including defence

and energy, is heavily involved with

Fife’s apprenticeship programmes.

Babcock currently employs 168

apprentices drawn from Carnegie and

nearby Adam Smith College. Likewise,

Bifab is another key supporter of the

training scheme. The fabrications com-

pany has 70 apprentices developing

their skills across a number of relevant

trades.

Both Carnegie and Adam Smith

Colleges are offering a mixture of

renewables specific training and

courses in the more traditional

mechanical and engineering skills. This

balance reflects what local employers

are looking for. Within a relatively

new sector, such as offshore wind,

there is still great demand for estab-

lished skills and trades. Both Babcock

and Bifab see the renewables market,

in particular offshore wind, as a key

growth area into which they can

diversify their core experience.

Bifab operations director Martin

Adam explained: “We are heavily

involved in the training programmes.

All our apprentices come through

Carnegie and we are comfortable with

what they can offer. Nevertheless,

the skills we are looking for really stay

the same. However, although the

skills base to take fabrications from oil

and gas exists, if we didn’t invest in

apprentices those skills would erode.

We don’t necessarily need people

to be “up-skilled” specifically for the

renewables market; we need people

with excellent traditional engineering

skills.”

Babcock’s Director of Commercial

Business Joe McShane added that the

168 apprentices currently engaged

at Babcock were typically working

in established fields such as welding,

pipe-fitting, mechanics and electronics.

However, he explained that as Babcock

moves into new markets, in particular

offshore wind, such skills will have signifi-

cant transferable potential. “Mechanical

and electrical skills will become increas-

ingly important as the offshore wind

sector continues to grow,” he said.

“Our traditional business of doing

refits on warships is disappearing. As

Untitled-1 33 22/6/11 09:59:27

Page 34: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

34

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

we see it, the two big growth markets

in the UK are nuclear and renewables.

Fife has been quite visionary in target-

ing renewables.”

Whilst companies like Babcock

and Bifab are, as it stands, placing

the emphasis on established skills,

Carnegie is leading the way in offering

training tailored specifically to renew-

able energy industries. The college has

been instrumental in developing and

delivering the UK’s first wind turbine

maintenance apprenticeship. The

qualification, which is supported by

leading wind turbine manufacturers

Siemens, Repower and Weir Power, is

designed to meet the demand for the

highly skilled individuals required by

the sector.

In the workshop at the Whitlock

Energy Collaboration Centre I met

Rick Watson, one of the college’s

wind turbine apprentices. The 20

year old, originally from Washington

near Newcastle, had secured an

apprenticeship at Rolls Royce but

decided to join the wind turbine

course at Carnegie because he could

see the potential in the renewable

energy sector.

“I saw more prospects for the

future working on wind turbines,” he

told me. “I could see more of a career

in this particular sector. In my area, the

North East, there’s going to be a lot of

growth in the sector. For my Scottish

mates on the course, there’s obviously

a lot of potential in their areas too.”

Rick, halfway through the first year

of his apprenticeship, splits his time

between the workshop and class-

room learning the skills that employ-

ers in the sector require. Sponsored

by Repower, after 18 months at

Carnegie, Rick will then enter a three-

year placement with the company

working on turbine installation and

maintenance in his native North East.

Invest in Fife’s promotion of

renewable energy is not limited to

the apprenticeship schemes at higher

education colleges. Across the water

from Bifab’s Methil facility stands the

Hydrogen Office.

The building, which was opened

in 2009, is essentially a demonstra-

tion project illustrating the potential

of both renewable energy resources

alongside hydrogen storage and fuel

cell technology. The Hydrogen Office’s

energy system includes a 750kW wind

turbine, 30kW electrolyser, 10kW

hydrogen fuel cell and a geothermal

heat pump.

The turbine generates, on average,

in excess of 4,000 kWh of electric-

ity per day. The electricity generated

by the turbine directly provides for

the needs of the Office and surplus

electricity is used to generate hydro-

gen which is subsequently used to

generate electricity through a hydro-

gen fuel cell system. Furthermore,

geothermal heating system provides

80 percent of the buildings heating

requirements.

Untitled-1 34 22/6/11 10:00:02

Page 35: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Students from primary and second-

ary schools regularly visit the centre to

learn more about the science behind

wind turbines, geothermal energy and

hydrogen fuel cell technology. It is also

hoped that the Hydrogen Office will

become a significant research facility.

Although not yet fully operational,

the site will also host a test centre for

businesses and academics to carry out

testing on fuel cell technologies.

The Hydrogen Office is a key

symbol of Invest in Fife’s commitment

to raising awareness of renewable

resources and providing state-of-the-

art research provision to maximize the

sector’s benefit to the regional and

national economy.

www.investinfife.co.uk

T: +44 (0) 1274 531034 E: [email protected]

VERSATILITYComplex applicationsmade easy by expertsCenta technology helps you harness the power of nature

• Quality bespoke design capability

• Integrated products for any drive situation

• Robust systems; above and below the waves

www.centapower.co.uk

Untitled-1 35 22/6/11 10:00:40

Page 36: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

36

CONSULTANCY

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

Engineering consultancy Xodus

Group has bolstered its impres-

sive renewables credentials by

acquiring an industry leading specialist

consultancy.

The deal with Anglesey based James

Ingram & Associates has brought a

powerhouse of offshore wind, wave

and tidal experience into the fold.

James Ingram has joined Xodus as

Head of Low Carbon and his team has

also transferred into the Group.

Colin Manson, CEO of Xodus

Group, says the move strengthens

Xodus’ growing reputation in renew-

able engineering. He comments: “We

have built a great reputation in the

renewable sector both in front-end

structural and subsea engineering and

through our environmental division, but

this acquisition takes us to a whole new

level. James has worked on some of the

most high profile renewable projects so

we are delighted to be bringing those

world-class capabilities in-house.”

James Ingram & Associates had built

up 10 years’ offshore wind, wave and

tidal experience with clients including

BP Alternative Energy, Scottish Power,

Keppel Group, Dexia Bank and a

Round 3 offshore wind developer.

The full service offering includes

technical and commercial project engi-

neering and due diligence and strategic

management, working across the sec-

tor with project developers, technology

suppliers, marine contractors, finance

providers and government.

Ingram says: “We had built a

solid reputation in the renewable

sector and there were strong synergies

with Xodus and its brand values, so the

time was right to join forces and pool

our capabilities. Xodus offers world-

class offshore technical expertise and is

committed to low carbon through its

new business stream, which recognises

the different drivers and models to

traditional oil and gas projects. We are

delivering a truly integrated and interna-

tional low carbon service.”

Successful contracts Ingram has

won include framework agreements

with both the UK Dept of Energy

and Climate Change (DECC) and UK

energy regulator (OFGEM). He par-

ticipated in two major offshore wind

R&D projects with the UK Energy

Technologies Institute. He has also

been involved in the offshore engineer-

ing on more than 10 wind projects in

the UK, France, Germany, Holland and

Belgium in addition to numerous wave

and tidal technology developments.

Xodus launched in 2005 and has

swiftly grown into a multi-disciplined,

integrated consultancy with expertise in

oil, gas and renewables.

Following its busiest outing at the All

Energy conference in May, the consul-

tancy is currently delivering a variety of

high profile renewable projects.

Statoil has appointed Xodus to

carry out the environmental impact

assessment (EIA) for a potential pilot

park for the world’s first full-scale

Growing up fast

Gayle Nicol reports on how the Xodus Group

continues its expansion with a major

renewables acquisition

floating wind turbine.

The Hywind turbine is based on the

Hywind Demo prototype, which has

been successfully tested by Statoil in

Norway for over a year. An area off

the north-east coast of Scotland will be

assessed as a potential candidate for

a possible first pilot park of up to five

units, generating renewable electricity

offshore.

Based on technologies from the

oil and gas industry, Hywind has been

designed for deep, rough waters. The

floating Hywind structure consists of

a slender steel cylinder filled with a

ballast of water and rocks, holding a

wind-turbine on top. It extends some

sector and there were strong synergies

with Xodus and its brand values, so the

reports on how the Xodus Group

continues its expansion with a major

renewables acquisition

Untitled-10 36 22/6/11 14:14:16

Page 37: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

37

CONSULTANCY

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

80m beneath the sea’s surface and is

attached to the seabed by a three-

point mooring spread.

First Minister Alex Salmond wel-

comed the project, commenting: “I’m

very pleased that Statoil is considering

an area off the north-east Scottish

coast as the location for a potential

pilot park to deploy their pioneering

Hywind technology and I congratulate

Xodus Group on being appointed to

conduct the EIA. Our nation has been

blessed with an abundance of natural

energy, with an estimated quarter of

Europe’s offshore wind and tidal energy

resource. Founded on our strong

industrial heritage in offshore engineer-

ing and innovation, Scotland’s waters

are attracting a range of clean energy

technology developments, and I hope

to see further exciting renewable ener-

gy projects such as Statoil’s Hywind

deployed here in the coming years.”

Xodus is also carrying out an EIA

for MeyGen in the Pentland Firth.The

project will consist of up to 400, 1MW

turbines generating enough energy

to power 400,000 homes. They will

be located in roughly 3.5km2 of the

Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth off

the north coast of Scotland between

Caithness on the Scottish mainland and

the Island of Stroma.

Xodus has developed a reputation

as an industry leader in EIAs, which

was reinforced recently when it was

one of the first organisations in the

country to be awarded the Institute

of Environmental Management and

Assesment’s new EIA quality mark.

Stephen Swindell, Chief Operating

Officer at Xodus Group adds: “We

strive for extremely high standards

in our EIAs and this has been under-

lined by being one of the very first to

achieve the new quality mark. We are

experiencing a growing demand for our

low carbon services with a number of

exciting new project wins.”

www.xodusgroup.com

ABOVE: Hywind tow from Åmøyfjorden to Karmøy - floating windmill at sea in deep water Photography by Øyvind Hagen/Statoi

Untitled-10 37 22/6/11 14:14:59

Page 38: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Leading the way in supporting renewablesTAG Energy Solutions has created the UK’s first offshore wind turbine tubular foundation production plant. It is located in the North East of England.

This exciting, £20 million facility has been developed with support from DECC, One North East and investors Platina Partners and Environmental Technologies Fund.

The new plant is now fully operational. TAG Energy Solutionsand its partners are helping the region lead the way in supporting renewables.

T: 01642 565500 E: [email protected]

www.tagenergysolutions.com

Technical by nature

QUALIFIED BY EXPERIENCE

www.gl-garradhassan.com

Renewable energy consultants

Untitled-1 36 9/5/11 11:45:42OW_SUM_ADS.indd 8 22/6/11 17:59:33

Page 39: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

39

MARINE

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Raising standards

Sally Caswell of Red7Marine explains the

specialist services that the company has to offer

Red7Marine’s (R7M) newly-

acquired offshore support

vessel DP Reel went straight

to work after sailing into Great

Yarmouth port to mark a milestone

moment for the rapidly growing

company.

The £5million investment means

the highly versatile vessel is available to

support work for clients in the renew-

able energy and oil & gas sectors.

One of her first jobs was for

Centrica on the Lincs windfarm off

Skegness, with anchor trials and div-

ing surveys in preparation for export

cable installation.

“Her acquisition means we have

achieved our primary objective to

own and operate a fully-mobilised UK-

based DPII offshore support vessel,”

said R7M Director Mike Jones, at the

company’s diving and subsea division

base in Lefevre Way, Great Yarmouth.

“In the past we have operated

other companies’ DPII class vessels

to support our work but we always

recognised the importance of secur-

ing our own vessel so we can control

costs better and provide a more pre-

cise and efficient service to clients.

“Our intention is to continue rais-

ing standards in an industry where

we are providing our own specialist

services in offshore construction,

diving, cable laying, ROV and deep

water drilling support. The DP Reel

will help significantly in that objec-

tive,” he added.

The vessel arrives less than

three years after R7M was created

by Norfolk-based Anglian Marine

Services and Haven Ports (Marine

and Constructions Management), of

Manningtree, joining forces.

And it’s the latest feather in the

cap of a company which saw turno-

ver leap from £6million to £24million

in the three years with its workforce

growing from 45 to 125 strong, plus

60 sub-contract divers.

Jones said the DP Reel had already

undertaken a number of operations

both within the renewable and oil &

gas sectors, and was proving to be a

great success even at this early stage.

It is expected to operate next in the

southern North Sea undertaking IRM

and ROV intervention work.

She has been fitted with a

comprehensive offshore diving

system and survey suite, to meet

International Marine Contractors

Association standards, and can oper-

ate in water depth as shallow as 6m,

ideal for supporting cable laying. She

can also support diving operations

in 10m+ water depth and, being

equipped with powerful propulsion

systems, is ideal for handling aggres-

sive and unpredictable tidal flows

Untitled-15 39 22/6/11 14:43:02

Page 40: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

40

MARINE

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

around the UK territorial waters.

The 91m x 18m vessel arrived

in Great Yarmouth from a previous

base in Italy.

Meanwhile, R7M continues to be

heavily involved in a major contract

at one of the world’s largest offshore

windfarms, Greater Gabbard, off

Suffolk.

It’s been a real test of skills and

endurance with near non-stop 24/7

operations over two years, working for

Fluor, joint partners with Airtricity in the

project. And it is being achieved with an

impeccable safety record, to date clock-

ing up more than 2,250 dives.

As well as working from vessels,

R7M has access teams working with

transition pieces on the turbines

themselves.

The contract has been extended

to the end of September - and pos-

sibly beyond - for R7M to carry out

some additional cabling work.

Not far away, R7M success-

fully completed its contract at the

Sheringham Shoal windfarm, off

Norfolk, in May where it worked

from the Ocean Dragon on the

cable-landing site; and from the jack-

up JB104, installing pull-in towers and

hydraulic containers on the substa-

tion upper decks; and from Volantis

installing monopile seabed bell

mouths and PE pipes and assisting in

the installation of j-tube extensions.

The company also worked for

three weeks for Vattenfall at the

Thanet windfarm, off Kent, with div-

ing and dredging operations to survey

for export cable joints.

Diving constitutes 50 percent of

R7M turnover with the company also

specialising in a full range of surface

construction work and ‘at height’

projects such as the access for tur-

bine transition pieces.

And it is a global player, often with

more than 20 operations under way

at any one time worldwide. Its aspira-

tions are underlined by the fact that

it is currently awaiting a consultancy

report on windpower opportunities

being developed off Maine, USA.

Headquartered at Wrabness,

Manningtree, R7M also has bases at

Ipswich, Northfleet and Exeter.

The Great Yarmouth diving and

subsea base was opened two years

ago and staffing there has increased

from 15 to 35 plus and is still grow-

ing. This year it is offering apprentice-

ships to school leavers.

Jones stressed the company’s

versatility and attention to quality

and safety standards, with particular

expertise working outside the 12 mile

limit to IMCA standards and offshore

diving ACoP. As a demonstration

of the company’s commitment to

safety, health and quality, R7M can also

announce successfully achieving IS0

9001:2008 accreditation with Lloyd’s

Register Quality Assurance (LRQA),

and recently achieved membership of

the International Marine Contractor

Association (IMCA) within the Diving

Division.

“There are very few companies

like ours which can undertake such a

range of activities, owning and oper-

ating our own equipment and using

a highly skilled, fully-employed work-

force,” he added.

For the future, R7M will continue

chasing global business in the offshore

renewables and oil and gas fields and in

power and telecoms cable installation.

www.red7marine.co.uk

Untitled-15 40 22/6/11 14:43:32

Page 41: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

www.xodusgroup.com

Engineering, technical safety and risk, and environmental consultancy services from Xodus Group actively support the development of renewable energy projects.

Harnessing natural energy

Untitled-1 29 9/5/11 11:08:45

Page 42: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

42

SUPPLY CHAIN

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

TAG Energy Solutions, located

on the Teesside waterfront,

already has extensive experi-

ence of offshore operations. Last year

the decision was made to utilise this

experience within the offshore wind

industry, and the company set about

building a new production facility

that will manufacture offshore wind

turbine foundations. The construction

of this facility, based in Billingham, has

sped forward in leaps and bounds.

TAG has now received all the fund-

ing for the site and the building is

nearing completion. The wide array

of machines, such as the welding

equipment that will be crucial to the

operation, are all on site too and are

being lifted into position. TAG’s Chief

Executive, Alex Dawson, is expect-

ing the site to be ready for action

around the middle of June.

The company wants to establish

itself as a key player for founda-

tions and topsides both in the UK

and Europe. The key to this is the

group’s 30 years’ experience work-

ing offshore in the oil and gas sec-

tor. Dawson indicates that, although

the offshore wind industry differs

in part, in terms of foundations the

requirements are very similar. Though

carefully designed, he explains that

foundations are produced through

“simple technology.” The challenge is

not producing them but rather con-

verting the manufacturing and instal-

lation into a slick process. “It’s about

moving an individual project towards

a production process,” Dawson says.

Additionally, he foresees long-term

prospects for the market. “When the

oil and gas industry was first taking

off, it was seen as a short-term solu-

tion, but it has lasted 30 years,” he

explains. “The offshore wind sector

looks set to follow the same route.

It’s home ground for us.”

To this extent, TAG has submit-

ted tenders for several upcoming

projects; in particular Dawson hopes

to become involved with EDF’s

Balanced outlookTheone Wilson discovers Teesside’s answer to

the challenges of the offshore wind supply chain

Untitled-8 42 22/6/11 13:38:35

Page 43: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

43

SUPPLY CHAIN

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Teesside windfarm, for which the

company would be ideally placed.

Meanwhile, TAG has been very

active in the German market, which is

seeing a lot of movement - the group

currently has nine tenders submitted

for German prospects.

The UK, Dawson states, has a

lot to offer but is currently “slightly

behind the curve”. In comparison,

the German sector is a lot more

advanced. The German port of

Bremerhaven, for example, has

recently seen a lot of investment into

its facilities. This means that inter-

national cooperation in the field is

developing. “We are currently having

conversations with companies across

the world, but we are very much at

the beginning of this process. The

sector needs serious collaboration,”

explains Dawson.

Certainly, there is room for devel-

opment in the UK market at the

moment. One example Dawson cites

is that of cast nodes. At the moment,

there is insufficient capacity in the UK

to produce these and TAG is getting

quotes from Germany for the items.

Despite this, there is a real oppor-

tunity for a “renaissance” in the UK

market; Dawson believes that the UK

does have the capacity to become a

leading exporter in the market as a

whole. “We have the skills but just

need to apply them,” he says.

He indicates that in the UK there

has been a lack of stimulation from

the government to encourage the

greater supply chain but the situation

is now improving; however, responsi-

bility also lies with individual compa-

nies to take the opportunities that are

available. “Companies need to stand

up and be proactive - let people know

that they are ready and waiting for

work,” Dawson explains. He senses

that much of the industry is waiting

for work to come to them rather than

going out and searching for it, and this

needs to change; key to finding these

opportunities is networking. “People

don’t know that you’re there unless

you tell them,” he adds. Dawson

himself has spent the past year rais-

ing TAG’s profile so that the industry

knows they are now available to take

on work.

To further raise awareness, TAG

has undertaken a study for The

Carbon Trust, examining how to

manufacture 100 jackets per annum.

The work has brought home the

point that offshore wind is potentially

a huge market. In fact, once the site

at Billingham is in operation Dawson

anticipates running it 24 hours a day,

seven days a week. He is confident

that there will be more than enough

demand to make this worthwhile. As

the business develops, TAG may also

look at expanding and moving into

new areas such as operations and

maintenance.

Overall, offshore wind, Dawson

concludes, fits into the UK’s energy

plans as part of a balanced energy

approach. This includes oil and gas,

nuclear and renewables. While off-

shore wind is probably some years

away from becoming commercially

viable, in Dawson’s mind it is essential

to maintain this balanced outlook on

energy. Nonetheless, the future looks

bright for anyone with the skills and

expertise to make an impact in the

sector - and that includes TAG.

www.tagenergysolutions.com

Untitled-8 43 22/6/11 13:39:18

Page 44: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

smart at work

Before wind power and tidal

power comes brainpower

www.investni.com/invest

Northern Ireland has world-class engineering capabilities and some of the best wind, wave and tidal resources in Europe. But what really sets us apart is our people.

At our R&D centres of excellence, we design and build the technology that captures the forces of nature, and we have a wealth of engineering graduates with unbeatable technical know-how.

Add to that our first-rate business infrastructure, super-port with 24-7 access and unstoppable can-do attitude, Northern Ireland is the smart choice. Naturally.

To find out more about doing business in Northern Ireland, contact

Invest Northern Ireland London Team t: 0207 222 0599 e: [email protected]

Untitled-19 9 22/6/11 15:52:52

Page 45: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

45

PORTS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Natural resources

Johanna Lagan, Renewables Executive of International Sales and

Marketing at Invest Northern Ireland, explains why this region offers

excellent offshore opportunities

Northern Ireland’s location and

facilities are proving to be

ideally placed to service the

offshore energy market.

The region is in the enviable position

of having a number of excellent ports

with superb associated facilities, which

are crucially important to the offshore

energy supply chain. Indeed, not only

is the region in the right geographic

location to exploit its own enormous

natural resources of wind and tidal, but

it also boasts close proximity to the

windfarms in the Irish Sea and marine

sites off the coast of Scotland.

Northern Ireland’s ports offer excel-

lent facilities including first-rate seaward

access, good port facilities and outstand-

ing development potential, all of which

can service a range of the renewable

energy industry’s needs. They are close

to the existing Round 1, 2 and 3 licenses

in the Irish Sea as well to the Irish wind

licenses and marine licenses around the

coast of Scotland. The Crown Estate will

also be issuing both offshore wind and

marine licenses for Northern Ireland, to

run in parallel from 2012.

Boasting a total of ten ports rang-

ing from large to small, Northern

Ireland’s ports offer opportunities as

either construction or operation and

maintenance (O&M) ports in offshore

energy - wind, wave and tidal. Many

of these ports have land available for

development including the largest

ones - Belfast and Londonderry.

Already Harland and Wolff, located

within the Port of Belfast, has been the

construction base port for the Robin

Rigg (180MW) and Barrow (90MW)

offshore windfarms in the Irish Sea, and

as the assembly facility for the 400MW

sub-station for the Bard Offshore 1

windfarm in the German Bight devel-

opment area. The company has also

worked on numerous marine devices

including Seagen in Strangford Lough,

Wavebob in Galway Bay, and a proto-

type marine device to be placed off the

west coast of Scotland.

The major ports in the region are

well-connected to all areas of Northern

Ireland and the Republic of Ireland by a

good road and rail network. Between

them the ports of Belfast, Londonderry,

Larne and Warrenpoint provide some

150 fast ferry and freight sailings per

week to Great Britain, Europe and

beyond. The Port of Belfast is the busi-

est port in Ireland and is unique in hav-

ing an airport on its land.

There are numerous engineering and

construction companies, and cement

production facilities co-located with

deep-water ports, having large areas

of designated development land that is

suitable for the production of concrete

gravity bases and other products. Belfast

Harbour also hosts the Northern

Ireland Advanced Composites &

Engineering Centre (NIACE), a new

£6million research centre launched at

the beginning of 2011 and supported

Sour

ce:

GL

Gar

rad

Has

san

Untitled-6 45 22/6/11 12:53:05

Page 46: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

46

PORTS

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

by industry, government and the two

universities in Northern Ireland.

Operating costs are highly competi-

tive and significantly lower than the rest

of the UK and Western Europe. Labour

costs in Northern Ireland are the low-

est in the UK - typically around 10-30

percent below the UK national average.

Add to this workforce flexibility and skills

and Northern Ireland ranks among the

most competitive locations in Europe.

Northern Ireland has much to offer

the sustainable energy sector in terms

of its skills base. Historically strong in

engineering, shipbuilding and structural

steelwork, Northern Ireland maintains an

experienced, skilled workforce. Nearly

34,000 people are employed in the

construction industry with proportion-

ately more workers in specialist building

operations in Northern Ireland than in

the rest of the UK.

Companies working in and through

Northern Irish ports have access to a

young well-educated population. The

region produces highly educated people,

consistently outperforming other UK

regions in school-leaver qualifications.

Multiple courses in universities and fur-

ther education colleges ensure skills avail-

ability for the engineering and construc-

tion sectors and include academic quali-

fications, vocational and apprenticeship

schemes. There are over 5,400 students

enrolled in construction and engineering

courses with over 1,400 graduates per

annum from the same courses.

The skills pipeline has been

enhanced further by the creation

of new wind turbine qualifications

recently launched through the fur-

ther education colleges in Northern

Ireland. The first outside the USA to

offer training for wind turbine

Big lifts and manufacturing muscle

Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd is approximately halfway through a logis-

tic supply project for Sweden’s biggest energy supplier, Vattenfall, on Ormonde

offshore windfarm. The company has a huge standing area and superb lifting

capacity that makes the prestigious ship builder an obvious choice for a logistic

supply base, supporting projects not only in the Irish Sea but also in other UK and

European OWF designated zones.

Having massive heavy handling and ‘just-in-time’ logistical support capability

has become a significant part of the overall package. Nothing is more important

to the installation process than a safe and efficient load-out and delivery which

can result in massive cost savings. And having on-site ship repair and manufactur-

ing capability provides a level of redundancy that could prove invaluable should

emergency repair work to deployment vessels and other bespoke engineering

fabrication services be required.

The main benefits of the Harland

and Wolff logistical base are:

• ISPS certified port facility having 24/7

CCTV site security

• Easy deep water access and exit to

open water

• Largest dry dock in Europe, 556m

long x 93m, with five intermediate

gate positions

• Two Goliath gantry cranes, each with

840t lifting capacity, two 60t and one

9t tower cranes. Plus a range of up to

260t transporters, fork truck and

cherry pickers

• Four quayside/wharfs complete

with shore power, potable water and

amenities

• Over 100,000m2 storage area

• Marine design service, manufactur-

ing, paint shops, slops and ship repair

facilities.

Transferring the knowledge base from ship building through oil and gas into

manufacturing renewable energy support structures (such as jackets and topsides)

has resulted in Siemens awarding Harland and Wolff a design and build contract

for two offshore substation platforms for the Gwynt y Môr offshore windfarm.

Manufacturing will continue to be at the heart of Harland and Wolff’s commit-

ment into the renewable sector, with logistical and assembly an integral part of

the forward looking strategy.

Untitled-6 46 22/6/11 12:53:34

Page 47: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

47

PORTS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

engineers, these specialised courses

have produced more than 200 gradu-

ates to date.

Carbon Zero is a sector initiative led

by colleges to develop a skilled workforce

in renewable energy and is targeted at

experienced engineers wanting to grow

or diversify their skills within the renewa-

bles sector. Other bodies including the

Engineering Training Council, an employ-

er-led body providing apprenticeship

opportunities, and CITB-ConstructionSkills

Northern Ireland are working with uni-

versities, schools, colleges and industry to

ensure a qualified, professional workforce

for the construction sector.

A report by GL Garrad Hassan enti-

tled ‘Opportunities for Northern Ireland

Ports in the Renewable Energy Sector’

was released last year. Commissioned

by the Carbon Trust, the report draws

attention to the region’s outstanding port

facilities. In the report, the large ports at

Londonderry, Belfast and Warrenpoint

are highlighted as offering superb facilities

for construction and for operations and

maintenance for both offshore wind and

the marine energy sector. Smaller ports

such as Coleraine, Portavogie, Strangford,

Kilkeel and Larne also offer good pros-

pects for O&M.

Northern Ireland’s ports form one part

of a compelling proposition for investors

in offshore energy who want to make the

most of the opportunities in the Irish Sea

and surrounding areas. Add in its great

location, educated and skilled workforce,

competitive costs and surrounding sup-

ply chain and you have the right mix for

success.

For more information about what

Northern Ireland has to offer visit:

www.investni.com/invest

Belfast Harbour

Covering an area of almost 2,000 acres, Belfast Harbour is one of Ireland’s

principal maritime gateways, and one of the most modern ports in Europe,

handling over 16.5million tonnes of cargo and over one million ferry passen-

gers in 2010.

But with one eye on the future, it is the fast growing offshore wind indus-

try which represents the largest business opportunity for Belfast Harbour, and

UK ports in general, over the next 15 years. The offshore wind industry plans

to install over 2,500 turbines within 150 miles of Belfast Harbour, thus making

it well positioned geographically to facilitate the establishment of a reliable

supply chain upon which to deliver this offshore wind capacity.

However, it is not just about being in the right place - ports must have the right

facilities and a proven track record in executing development projects to attract

investors. Belfast Harbour, a deep water port with no tidal restrictions offering

24/7/365 access and a long track record of project delivery, gives offshore energy

investors the ability to build the robust supply chain solutions they need.

Belfast Harbour’s existing facilities include Ireland’s longest deepwater quay,

Stormont Wharf, at over 1km long, backed with substantial quayside storage

areas, and the extensive world-class facilities operated by Harland &Wolff, with

its permanent heavy lift capability.

However, it is the recent announcement made with DONG Energy that pro-

vides even greater proof of Belfast Harbour’s ambitious plans to make Belfast

one of the UK’s leading renewable energy hubs. In February 2011, Belfast

Harbour announced plans with the Danish firm, to develop a new £40m logis-

tics hub at Belfast Harbour as a base for its Irish Sea construction operations.

The proposed development will see Belfast Harbour fund and build a new

480m long deep water quay supported by a 50 acre logistics space. The

scheme represents one of the harbour’s largest ever capital investment projects

and has the potential to kick-start Belfast and Northern Ireland’s aspirations to

become a leading player in the new green economy.

With a further 100 acres of land nearby also available for development,

Belfast Harbour is pursuing plans to develop a Marine Energy Park to build on

its recent success with DONG Energy. With an already burgeoning R&D sector

in offshore energy in Belfast (particularly in tidal energy), the proposed Park

will provide an excellent hub at which to co-locate further R&D facilities, major

manufacturing operations, integrating effectively with local companies in the

supply chain, all of which will be proximate to the world class harbour facilities

required to take product to market.

Working closely with Northern Ireland’s regional economic development

agency, Invest NI, Belfast Harbour provides a compelling business proposition

to new and established businesses seeking to participate in this exciting, and

potentially lucrative market.

Untitled-6 47 22/6/11 12:54:09

Page 48: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Inverclyde is emerging as a strategic location for the offshore renewable energy industry, with the infrastructure available for Offshore Wind/Wave and Tidal Operations & Maintenance, Fabrication, Sub-Assembly, Manufacturing and Applied R&D and Testing.

Inverclyde is one of Scotland’s 32 unitary authorities and includes the towns of Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow.

For further details, please contact: Neil Lochiel, Implementation ManagerRiverside InverclydeSuite G1, Clyde View, Pottery Street, Greenock PA15 2UZTelephone number : 01475 746475 Mobile : 07590 710782www.riversideinverclyde.com

We offer:

� Ports, Infrastructure & Connectivity• 200,000 m2 existing port site

• Extended potential to 400,000 m2

• Minimum water depths of 8.2 metres

• Bespoke offi ce accommodation

• Land platformed and ready for development

• Excellent road, motorway, rail and air connectivity

� West Coast location

• Wave & Tidal• Offshore Wind

� Government backing and support

� Testing and R&D opportunity

� Skilled workforce

��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Untitled-19 10 22/6/11 15:54:19

Page 49: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

49

PORTS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Top facilitiesNeil Lochiel, Implementation Manager at

Riverside Inverclyde, argues that the region is

ideal for renewables businesses looking to expand

Inverclyde, on banks of the the River

Clyde and including the towns of

Greenock and Port Glasgow, is

well-suited to encourage the location

of offshore renewable energy compa-

nies to create a key west of Scotland

hub. Already companies such as 2020

Renewables and Jenda Energy have

headquartered there. Inverclyde boasts

excellent port, land and office facilities;

an adaptable workforce with the techni-

cal, professional and artisan skills of the

shipbuilding and IT industries that made

Inverclyde the export capital of Scotland;

easy access to the west coast Scottish

Territorial Waters marine energy loca-

tions via well-connected ports and near-

by airports; superb infrastructure; and

close proximity to Glasgow International

Airport.

Riverside Inverclyde (ri) is an Urban

Regeneration Company driving the

delivery of a focused, integrated regen-

eration programme for Inverclyde, on

the Clyde Estuary 25 miles west of

Glasgow. A joint initiative between

the Scottish Government, Inverclyde

Council, Scottish Enterprise and the pri-

vate sector, including Clydeport, ri aims

to dramatically reshape the environmen-

tal and economic future of Inverclyde’s

waterfront.

Recent announcements of key

offshore wind renewables companies

setting up R&D facilities in Glasgow are

providing a direct focus on associated

opportunities in the west of Scotland.

Inverclyde is ideally placed to support

this by offering top-notch facilities, highly

competitive rates and flexible deals.

Inverclyde’s renewable energy loca-

tions are all contained within the arterial

A8 dual carriageway, on or immediately

opposite the waterfront. At the east

entrance to Port Glasgow, adjacent to

the M8 motorway is the 30,000m2, plat-

formed land development of Kelburn

intended for light industrial usage, less

than a mile away from Ferguson’s

Shipbuilding and Fabrication Yard, who

have already delivered a large carousel

barge for deepwater cable laying to the

sector. Construction work will begin

at Kelburn in November this year in

a Phase 1 speculative build of four

separate sub-dividable units suitable for

manufacturing or assembly, with a gross

internal ground floor area of 41,000ft2.

Two miles further west is Clydeport’s

Inchgreen port, yard and dry dock facil-

ity. Currently standing at 200,000m2,

there is potential to double the size of

this facility up to 400,000m2. Inchgreen’s

current features include a 420m quay-

side, a 95m x 60m hard standing area,

minimum water depth of 8.2m, a 100m

x 80m reinforced module mat and a

305m x 47m dry dock, with cranage.

Less than a quarter of a mile away is

Riverside Business Park’s new 1,922m2

Grade A office space of Clyde View,

home to 2020 Renewables and Jenda

Energy. Clyde View has variable suite

sizes that can be adapted for all needs

LEFT: Inverclyde waterfront

Untitled-5 49 22/6/11 11:56:07

Page 50: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

50

PORTS

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

ABOVE: Work is underway at

Kelburn BELOW: Map of the water-

front

and is designed for multi occupancy.

Land adjacent is under development to

provide a second office building of com-

parative size.

Between Clyde View and Greenock

Ocean Terminal is the 14,000m2

Cartsdyke/Cartsburn site, platformed

and readied for office build. This is ideal

for a bespoke regional office develop-

ment. All locations are on a dual car-

riageway and within a five minute walk

of a railway station with frequent serv-

ices to Glasgow.

There is a thriving Inverclyde

Renewables Alliance Group, with

a breadth and depth of experience

including Scottish Enterprise, Clydeport,

Inverclyde Council, Mainstream

Renewable Power, Ferguson’s

Shipbuilders, Jenda Energy, 2020

Renewables, James Watt College, Turbo

Renewables and JLES, all working with

Riverside Inverclyde in developing and

positioning Inverclyde as an advanta-

geous West of Scotland location for

offshore renewables.

Inverclyde is a Regional Selective

Assistance Grant designated area.

Riverside Inverclyde’s URC status brings

flexibility and potential cost advantages

to mobile investors, providing a more

cost-effective alternative to a city centre

location.

Whether in manufacturing opera-

tions/maintenance for offshore wind,

wave and tidal manufacturing or sub-

assembly, consultancy, regional office, or

Applied R&D and testing capabilities for

marine renewables, Inverclyde can meet

investors’ needs.

Glasgow and the Clyde Estuary’s

support and drive for exploiting

Scotland’s offshore renewables potential

is firmly established. This is particularly

evident with key 2011 announcements

that include the new International

Technology and Renewable Energy

Zone in Glasgow, Scotland’s R&D capi-

tal for marine energy, and major jobs

announcements from both Doosan

Babcock and Steel Engineering at

Westway, halfway between Inverclyde

and Glasgow city centre. Major compa-

nies such as SSE Renewables, Scottish

Power Iberdrola and Mainstream

Renewable Power are located in

Glasgow and the synergies between

there, Westway and Inverclyde are pro-

viding a strong West of Scotland focal

point for marine energy.

Companies investing in Inverclyde will

be coming to an area that is transform-

ing itself and is looking positively to the

future as Riverside Inverclyde advances

its ambitious plans for the regeneration

of the waterfront, with work under-

way across seven key sites, including at

Kelburn and Cartsdyke.

While Clyde View’s two-storey

building is the keystone attraction of

Riverside Business Park, a new nursery-

build completed in February this year

is already fully operational. Sitting next

to Clyde View is the Ladyburn Business

Centre, a carefully restored former

school building offering a combination

of offices geared towards community

based enterprise and studios suitable

for use by artists. The building also has

a gallery and exhibition space which is

used to spotlight the work of local and

national talent.

Meanwhile in the town centres of

Gourock, Greenock and Port Glasgow

a series of environmental improve-

ments and public realm works funded

by the Scottish Government from its

Town Centre Regeneration Fund have

been undertaken, designed to positively

change the image of these centres and

attract footloose economic and residen-

tial investment. A £10million arts theatre

is also under construction at the East

India Harbour and will be operational by

mid 2012.

However, the most ambitious

physical regeneration project is the

comprehensive £180million, 12 year

redevelopment of historic James Watt

Dock which will see the creation of out-

standing commercial, marina and leisure

facilities set alongside modern residential

and retail space. The redevelopment of

the 107 acre dock, being carried out in a

partnership with Peel Holdings, is one of

the largest-ever individual regeneration

projects seen in Scotland. When com-

plete, some 145,600ft2 of commercial

space will have been created, alongside

45,000ft2 of retail space and homes for

3,200 people. ■

Riverside Inverclyde’s Renewables

brochure can be downloaded at www.

riversideinverclyde.com or contact Neil Lochiel

on 01475 755080.

Untitled-5 50 22/6/11 11:56:49

Page 51: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Untitled-8 19 28/3/11 16:46:54

Page 52: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

The UK’s leading renewable energytrade association is proud to present:

RenewableUK 2011Annual Conference & Exhibition

– Over 300 exhibitors

– Over 4,000 delegates

– Networking & side events

25–27 Oct | Manchester, UK | Wind, wave & tidal energy

Register online:

events.renewable-uk.com (All RenewableUK conferences and exhibitions)

Coming next year:

RenewableUK Global Offshore Wind 201213–14 June 2012 | ExCel London, UK www.GlobalOffshoreWind.com

Core Sponsor

Core Sponsor

6 July 2011 London, UK

Keynote address from Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

Three days of sessions, exhibition and side events will examine industry developments in onshore and offshore wind energy, wave and tidal energy, and micro- and small-wind systems.

New space available

Untitled-19 11 22/6/11 15:56:13

Page 53: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

53

PORTS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Future development

Steve Welch talks to Harbour Master Captain

Ken Gray about the facilities on offer at

Cromarty Firth

As the deepest, most sheltered

port in the North of Scotland,

Cromarty Firth has a wealth

of facilities in both the oil & gas and

renewable markets. Chief Executive

and Harbour Master Captain Ken Gray

explains: “We are the primary port

facility in the UK for both the mainte-

nance and stacking of oil rigs and the

Cromarty Firth can provide a highly

skilled labour force with all the service

required in IRM and subsea engineer-

ings supported by modern deep water

port facilities. Recently we have diversi-

fied into the logistics support for the

onshore windfarms industry and in the

last four years the port has experi-

enced an increase in this market with

over 180 turbines ranging from 1MW-

2.2MW being handled. We have also

completed two experimental 5MW

units for offshore wind, which were

assembled in the Firth and shipped out

as a complete unit. Additionally, in the

Untitled-17 53 22/6/11 15:13:19

Page 54: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

54

PORTS

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

last two years Cromarty Firth has been

involved in the manufacture and logis-

tics of four experimental wave and tidal

generators”.

As Cromarty Firth is the closest

deepwater port to both the Beatrice

and Moray Firth offshore windfarms,

this presents an ideal opportunity to be

able to service them. Gray stresses that

the port is keen to develop further into

this area.

“We are currently at the design

phase of extending the land holding

and berth facilities at the Invergordon

Service Base to support the offshore

wind industry with phase one being

completed in 2010,” Gray continues.

The port can handle large ships here

- up to 150,000 tonnes and some of

the largest cruise ships in the world.

Access is available at all states of the

tide and weather conditions, making

the port a very attractive destination.

The port has the advantage of having

experienced fabrication companies on

site with dedicated work shop facili-

ties, which in the future may benefit

from the new markets in offshore

renewable and build on their exper-

tise.

Gray sees the offshore wind sec-

tor as being at a crossroads because

the offshore wind work that has been

undertaken so far has been in shallow

water. “It hasn’t required the expertise

that we can provide here yet but once

you go into deeper water and start

bringing subsea engineering into the

equation then our experience in the oil

and gas industry will be of great benefit

to the windfarm developers. That’s

the experience and skills the Cromarty

Firth can bring and which we hope will

assist in de-risking these most challeng-

ing projects. We are keen to work with

the wind farm developers to provide

the Port facilities and knowledge they

require.”

The Cromarty Firth Port Authority

is a Trust Port managed by a small

specialist team with an elected Board

and all the money generated has to be

invested back into the port facilities.

In fact, for the past five years,

£1million has been invested into the

Invergordon Service Base. This supply

base is made up of 30 acres of devel-

oped land that is suitable for further

development. Projects to develop the

port even further are ongoing - the

team are looking to spend in excess of

£20million by early 2013. Part of this

includes a plan to reclaim seven acres

of land and to give the port a berth

that can take a ship up to 140m in

length.

For the Port Authority, the main

challenge at the moment appears to

be a lack of information on how the

construction phase will be undertaken.

“With Rounds 2 and 3 people are

concentrating on gaining consent so

the construction/development phase

is somewhat behind,” says Gray. “We

don’t know what size ships will be

required or what size lifts the ships

will have and it’s difficult to have berth

facilities to match specifications that we

don’t know.”

An additional consideration is that

the planned construction phase for

Rounds 2 and 3 is relatively short. “We

will need an awful lot of equipment,

labour and skills over a short period

of time. There will be stresses on the

supply chain,” states Gray. However,

he notes that the Scottish government

have been proactive in setting out an

infrastructure plan to try to bring eve-

rything together. Cost may also be an

issue but reductions may be achieved

through mass production or by using

proven technology, which will reduce

the risk of things going wrong.

“We already have the knowledge,

expertise and skills here because of

the amount of work we have done

both onshore and offshore to date,”

concludes Gray. “The supply chain

here has gained that knowledge early

on. It’s a very exciting time for all of us

at the port and we want to rise to the

challenge.”

www.cfpa.co.uk

Untitled-17 54 22/6/11 15:13:51

Page 55: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

CROMARTY FIRTH PORT AUTHORITY

www.cfpa.co.uk

For All Your Renewable Energy Needs

The Cromarty Firth is the gateway to deep water wind generation, with a proven track record in onshore and offshore wind, wave and tidal energy fabrication and logistics.

Our experience in subsea engineering together with deep sheltered water, makes the Firth a fore-runner in meeting the demands for manufacture, assembly, installation and maintenance of large offshore units.

This is the closest deep water port with 24 hour access to the Beatrice and Moray Round 2 & 3 wind farm projects.

For all your renewable energy needs, think Cromarty Firth.

Untitled-19 12 22/6/11 15:57:31

Page 56: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

REACH ENGINEERING AND DIVING SERVICES

www.red-services.co.uk

REDS OWF Experience includes:

Cottage Leap, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3XP t: +44 (0) 1788 570077

Barrow 2007

Rhyl Fltas 2008

Robin Rigg 2009

North Hoyle 2009

Lynn & Inner Dowsing 2009

Kentish Flats 2009

Thanet 2009 - 2010

Greater Gabbard 2009 / 10

Sheringham Shoal 2010

Burbo Bank 2011

Diving - Internal & External of MonopileJ-Tube InstallationCable Installation SupportO&M SupportRoped AccessTower AccessConfined Space ROV InspectionProject ManagementVessel Supply

Providers of:

��

���������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������■

�����������

www.loc-group.com

Marine & Engineering Consultancy Services for Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy Projects

Warranty Surveying Navigational Risk Assessment

Project Management Environmental Impact Studies

Approval of Installation Vessels Preparation of Contingency Plans

Safety Auditing Evaluation of Project Concepts

Cable Installation Please visit us at Stand C195 - All-Energy 2011, Aberdeen

Locations

Aberdeen Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Halifax, NS Hong Kong Houston Laem Chabang Lagos London MiamiPerth, WA Qingdao Rio de Janeiro San Francisco Shanghai Singapore Stavanger Tampico Tianjin

EE35_HGFtw.indd 38 10/5/11 11:56:20

OW_SUM_ADS.indd 24 22/6/11 17:42:05

Page 57: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

INSIDEPage 58 - It’s power delivery that really counts. Page 60 - Building HVDC supergrids - chal-lenges and possibilities. Page 61 - HVDC Light goes offshore. Page 62 - Distributed Energy

Storage Page 63 - Enhancing ABB’s UK centre of grid excellence.

www.abb.com/hvdc

ABB’s tried and proven technologies meet the grid connection challenges of Europe’s drive for renewable energy

READY FOR CONNECTION NOW

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 57 21/6/11 14:58:00

Page 58: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Renewable energy - inher-ently variable in its nature - is playing an ever-increasing role in meeting our energy

demands. The creation of ‘supergrids’ of interconnected networks offers an attractive way of increasing reliability and security of supply, and smooth-ing out the peaks and troughs in both power usage and generation. The challenge is how to connect these grids in a reliable, efficient way, potentially over great distances, and crossing seas. High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission solutions are set to play a vital role.

Sustainable energy sources cannot be evaluated as ‘stand alone’ solu-tions; they are only as effective as the power grid to which they ultimately connect. What really counts is the efficiency of the total energy system.

There will need to be new ap-proaches to living with variable generation sources, with more active demand response and smarter grid

technologies playing a very sig-nificant part. In parallel, we will also need to roll out new ways of manag-ing and interconnecting electricity grids nationally and internationally. This is where supergrids will play a key role.

Supergrids make sense strategi-cally because they enable poten-tially rich sources of energy - such as offshore wind farms, hydroelectric, geothermal and solar arrays - to be permanently connected to centres of demand, such as large cities, which may be hundreds of kilometres away.

Europe’s proposed Offshore Super-grid (www.friendsofthesupergrid.eu) is a case in point. This ambitious project aims to address the impending energy crunch in Europe by intercon-necting national electricity grids from Spain to the Baltic Sea in a seamless electricity transmission and trading network. It would smooth out demand and supply across a vast geographi-cal area and population, and make

the most use of renewable energy sources wherever and whenever they are available.

The role of the supergrid is two-fold. First, it will carry electricity gener-ated by offshore wind farms, and other renewable sources, to onshore grid connections. Second, it will carry electricity from all sources around Europe, making the region’s electricity markets more efficient both in terms of meeting demand and in terms of energy trading.

The idea of harnessing solar power from North African deserts to provide emission-free electricity to Europe is the central proposition of the Desertec Industrial Initiative, inau-gurated in July 2009. The Desertec vision (www.desertec.org) sees solar power generated in the Sahara even-tually meeting 15 percent of Europe’s energy needs, and a significant pro-portion of local demand in producer countries by 2050.

With improvements in the ef-

It’s power delivery that really counts58

ABB

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 58 21/6/11 15:30:05

Page 59: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

ficiency of power transmission, and in renewable energy technologies, most of the previous technical challenges involved have now been overcome.

Nonetheless, the construction of very large offshore wind farms presents some significant engineering challenges in getting large quantities of electrical power back to shore. Subsea supergrid interconnections demand a very robust electrical trans-mission system, with high availability and minimal maintenance require-ments. They must not only meet strict national grid codes, but also relieve stresses from wind turbines and other renewable sources by isolating electri-cal transients from the mainland grid. Another important requirement is to design a system that can withstand the harsh and sometimes very hostile offshore environment.

HVDC (High Voltage Direct Cur-rent) technology is used to transmit electricity over long distances by overhead transmission lines or sub-marine cables. First made available on a commercial basis by ABB, it is a well-proven technology with over 50 years of operating experience. HVDC offers higher capacity per line but also lower transmission losses than traditional AC systems. It can be used to connect separate asynchro-nous power systems (operating on a different frequency or voltage) where traditional AC connections are not feasible. In addition, HVDC systems also provide rapid and accurate con-trol of power flow and are therefore ideal for interconnecting power grids to facilitate market trading.

Now HVDC has emerged as a robust and economically feasible alternative for the subsea interconnec-tion of offshore wind farms, especially

with the significant improvements that have been made in the performance of wind-conversion systems, which have enabled wind turbines to be connected to the transmission grid and be safeguarded against surges in power generation.

An excellent example of this new generation of HVDC is the HVDC Light system pioneered by ABB over the past 14 years. Based on VSC (Voltage Source Converter) technol-ogy it uses series-connected power transistors rather than thyristor valves. It is ideal for integrating dispersed, re-newable generation, especially wind power, into existing AC grids. It is also used for smart transmission and smart grids due to its great flexibility and adaptability.

In offshore wind farm applications, VSC-based HVDC solutions use ex-truded polymer (XLPE) cables, which are a strong, flexible and cost-effec-tive alternative for severe conditions and deep waters. This cable type has a copper or aluminium conductor surrounded by a polymeric insulating material, which is very strong and robust. The water sealing of the cable has a seamless layer of extruded lead and finally one or two layers of steel wire armouring to provide the mechanical properties.

Most grid codes today set require-ments on ‘fault ride-through’ or ‘low-voltage ride-through’. As the propor-tion of renewable power generation increases, grid codes requirements are becoming stricter. For example, wind turbines or farms must typically be able to survive sudden voltage dips down to typically 15 percent of the nominal grid voltage for up to 140ms.

The wind farm network is much

smaller than a typical utility grid and, as a consequence, weaker. Also, its rated generation normally matches the rated HVDC transmission capabil-ity. A fast reduction in the input power capability may therefore lead to a significant increase in the wind farm bus voltage - resulting in an over-volt-age tripping of the VSC and/or the wind turbines.

The solution used is very robust, and leaves the wind farm unaffected during main grid faults. The DC chop-per is a high-energy resistor in the DC circuit that evacuates the surplus of energy during network faults when power transmission is not possible. This means there will be no abrupt change in the output power from the wind turbines and the disturbance seen by the wind turbines will be minimised.

It is surely significant that the long-established US grid features just one to two percent of HVDC transmission. In China, which is currently building a truly national grid, designed from a blank sheet of paper, HVDC will comprise some 10 to 20 percent of the total transmission capacity. This allows the development of remote hydro resources, minimises the number of lines, increases reliability and also creates an infrastructure that allows full utilisation of production resources including additional remote renewables.

Renewables will make a significant contribution to Europe’s power needs, but we must ensure that our grids are sufficiently developed to collect and deliver that power efficiently and reli-ably. The good news is that ABB has the technology to build these strong, reliable grids commercially available and ready to connect. ■

59

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 59 21/6/11 15:32:44

Page 60: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

60

ABB

HVDC links are used for bringing offshore wind power to shore. As the number of these point-

to-point HVDC connections grows, it would help to connect them directly, rather than through the broader AC grid. This is giving rise to plans for HVDC supergrids.

Wider use of DC grids is likely to involve challenges of a technical nature. However, the main challenge concerns adaption of international Regulatory frameworks to manage these new grids.

Plans to introduce wind power in the North Sea, solar power in North Africa (the Desertec initiative) etc, have created interest in HVDC grids.The value of these grids (offshore or onshore) is in their role as a facilitator for power exchange and trade between regions and power systems.

Moreover, an offshore grid will allow the aggregation and dispatch of power from offshore wind farms in different regions, resulting in power generation profiles of low variability.

The major motivation for an offshore grid topology is constituted by two policy drivers: the need for connectivity between countries and

power market regions, and the demand for economically efficient connection of offshore wind farms.

A reference project for construct-ing a regional grid with a limited number of nodes is already in place. The Québec-New England project completed in the 1990s has clearly demonstrated the feasibility of three-terminal HVDC systems.

HVDC Light provides better capa-bilities for operating regional multi-ter-minal systems as it has the advantage that the power direction is altered by changing the direction of the current, and not by changing the polarity of the DC voltage. The terminals can be connected to different points in the same AC network or to different AC networks. The resulting DC grids can be radial, interconnected or a combination of both.

An interregional DC grid is defined as a system that needs several protec-tion zones. The following technology gaps need to be closed to create such a grid:

• DC breakers• Power flow control• Automatic network restoration• DC/DC converters for connect-

ing different regional systemsThe basic technologies in these

fields are known although some further development is needed to fully meet all regulatory demands.

For HVDC supergrids to become commercially viable they may well need to be based on individual links of some 2GW. Currently, the maxi-mum rating for a single building block of ABB’s HVDC Light technology at +320 kV is 1150MW. However, technology is advancing and ABB is providing a monopolar 500kV, 700MW HVDC Light system for the fourth HVDC link between Norway and Denmark. So it is reasonable to expect that 2GW HVDC Light links will soon be achievable.

The subsea cables for such supergrids will need to operate in the region of 500kV. To date, no XLPE cables capable of this are commer-cially available. However, there have been rapid developments in XLPE cable technology for HVDC applica-tions recently and the trend indicates that the required voltage levels will be achieved soon. Mass Impregnated subsea cable at 500kV already exists and several HVDC projects will be based on this technology in the near future.

Future transmission grids will be more international and will be oper-ated and regulated by a range of in-ternational bodies as well as national agencies and system operators.

Establishing the ENTSO-E (a Euro-pean TSO cooperative association) in 2008 was a major step towards the formation of rules and frameworks to support future grids.

ABB anticipates that, based on previous HVDC and cable technol-ogy development rates, the residual technology gaps will be closed to make the European Supergrid a reality. ■

Building HVDC supergrids - challenges and possibilities

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 60 21/6/11 15:37:21

Page 61: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

61

The demanding environment and remote location makes power transmission from large offshore wind farms a

considerable challenge. Oil explora-tion companies sucessfully met similar challenges when they first began to exploit offshore oil and gas reserves in the North Sea. ABB has followed their path by successfully delivering the first offshore HVDC schemes.

A remote wind power farm could be connected with either AC or HVDC. Depending on the size of the wind farm, along with grid condi-tions, the use of HVDC is applicable where the distance to the connecting AC grid exceeds 40-70km.

With the constraints placed on space and weight offshore, HVDC Light offers some key advantages, since it is compact and lightweight compared with other HVDC solutions. Other needs are as follows:

• safety is paramount• salt and humidity place severe

requirements on the choice of materi-als and surface treatment

• maintenance needs must be minimised

• extensive monitoring is needed. Apart from the main transformers,

all high-voltage equipment must be installed inside compact modules on the offshore platform. The ventilation system in the modules must protect the high-voltage equipment and the

electronics from salt-laden and humid air. The main circuit equipment is therefore exposed to lower environ-mental requirements than a normal outdoor installation that enables a more compact design. The ventila-tion must also take airborne losses into consideration. An advantage of being offshore in the North Sea, of course, is that cold (5-11°C) water for cooling is readily available.

VSC-based HVDC converter stations can be fully automated or remotely operated. The goal is to maintain high performance of the link throughout the whole operational lifetime.

HVDC Light’s functionality in the offshore environment is shown by Statoil’s Troll A power from shore project, set up in 2005. This 84 MW link was the world’s first offshore HVDC transmission project. It enables the Troll A gas production platform to meet all its power requirements from onshore generation, via four 70km subsea cables.

The world’s first HVDC link to connect an offshore wind farm with an AC grid is the BorWin1 project. Based on HVDC Light technology, this 200 km link connects the Bard Offshore 1 wind farm located off Germany’s North Sea coast to the HVAC grid on the German mainland.

When complete, BARD Offshore 1 will consist of 80 wind genera-

tors, each with a capacity of 5MW. These will feed their power into a 36kV AC cable system. This voltage will then be transformed to 155kV AC before reaching the HVDC Light converter station, located on a dedicated platform. Here the AC is converted to ±150kV DC and fed into two 125km sea cables, which then continue into two 75km land cables, transmitting 400MW power to the land-based converter station.

The German utility TenneT has awarded a contract to ABB to supply an 800MW transmission link to connect offshore wind farms located in the cluster DolWin1 (Borkum West II wind farm, 400MW, plus future un-named wind farms) in the North Sea to the German grid.

The wind farms will be connected with AC cables to the HVDC con-verter station based on an offshore platform situated in the North Sea and further through 75km of DC sea cable and 90km of land cable to the HVDC onshore station at the grid connection point at Dörpen/West.

The transmission system has a total capacity of 800MW at ±320 kV. ABB oversees system engineering including design, supply and installa-tion of the offshore converter, sea and land cable systems and the onshore converter station. The land cables will be laid underground, thus minimising environmental impact. ■

HVDC Light goes offshore

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 61 21/6/11 15:38:01

Page 62: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

62

ABB

ABB’s Distributed Energy Storage (DES) systems serve a variety of different applications in transmis-

sion and distribution networks where they can improve the quality of the power at optimal cost.

In the past, networks only needed to handle a simple, passive flow of power from high-voltage genera-tion and transmission to low-voltage consumption. Energy storage can en-able networks to make the transition to handling complex, highly variable and multi-directional power flows to accommodate: increased levels of distributed generation; the potential transition of energy sources currently on the heat grid on to the electrical grid (for example, ground- and air-source heat pumps); and the growing demand for electric vehicles.

The main DES applications are:-Load Shifting - Altering the pattern

of energy use so that on-peak energy use is shifted to off-peak periods. To reduce the end user’s electricity cost,

the DES charges up with low-priced energy and is discharged

when the energy prices are high.

-Peak

Shaving - Related to Load Shifting. Both contribute to demand manage-ment in which the ultimate goal is to increase the load factor. Peak shaving uses stored energy to eliminate the short-term peaks in the energy con-sumption pattern.Benefits:a) Commercial and industrial custom-ers can reduce their energy charges by improving their load factor b) Utilities reduce the operational cost of generating power at peak periods (reducing the need for additional generation equipment) c) Investment in infrastructure is de-ferred because the system has flatter loads with smaller peaks.

Renewable Energy Capac-ity Firming - Allows an intermittent electric supply resource to be used as a nearly constant power source.

Deferred infrastructure upgrades - DES modules placed electrically downstream from the congested portion of the transmission system can help to prevent overloads and defer potential upgrades.

Power Quality - DES can protect loads further downstream against short-duration events that affect the quality of power delivered to the load.

Voltage Support - Energy storage with reactive power capabil-ity can provide voltage support and respond quickly to voltage control signals.

Frequency Regulation - DES is an attractive alternative for this ap-plication with its rapid response.

Outage management - DES can provide power for short periods of time to a network, reducing the effect of a temporary fault.

ABB’s latest DES development is the DynaPeaQ® system that enables dynamic control of active as well as reactive power in a power system, independently of each other. By controlling the reactive power, grid voltage and stability are safeguarded with high dynamic response. By control of active power, new services based on dynamic energy storage are added.

The system is based on SVC Light®, combined with Li-ion battery storage. SVC Light is based on Voltage Source Converters (VSC) connected in shunt to the grid at transmission as well as sub-transmis-sion and distribution level. Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) are used as switching devices. Dyna-PeaQ is aimed at industrial, distribu-tion and transmission level energy storage applications. The focus is on applications where the use of continuous reactive power control and short time active power support is needed.

We need a smarter grid that can receive power of all qualities from all sources, both centralised and distrib-uted, and deliver reliable supplies, on demand, to consumers of all kinds.

Since the increased use of intermit-tent generation requires dynamic voltage control as well as balancing power, DynaPeaQ is a great Smart Grid enabler. ■

Distributed Energy Storage

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 62 21/6/11 15:38:48

Page 63: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

63

ABB has established its UK operations as a centre of excellence for the implementation of the very

latest grid technologies. They include both HVDC and FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission Systems) that covers a number of technologies that enhance the security, capacity and flexibility of power transmission systems.

One of ABB’s most important cur-rent projects in the UK is Eirgrid’s East-West Interconnector that will provide a 500MW link between the Irish and UK power grids using HVDC technology. The interconnector will strengthen the reliability and security of electricity supplies in each country, and enable Ireland to expand its wind power capacity.

The transmission link will run under-water for 186km and underground for 70km, with minimal environmental impact. The only visible parts will be

the converter stations at each end that switch AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current) and back. The XLPE cable will provide the strength and flexibility needed to endure the severe conditions of the Irish Sea.

Rated at 200kV, this will be the highest voltage HVDC Light link using this type of cable. The higher voltage enables a transmission capacity of 500MW, the highest ever for an HVDC Light underground cable. ABB is responsible for system engineering, including design, supply and installa-tion of the sea and land cables, and both converter stations. The system is scheduled to be operational in September 2012.

ABB is pioneering the development of the UK’s multi-terminal offshore supergrid by starting technical design work on an HVDC Light project, which will be the first link to incor-porate a hub for the connection of

offshore wind farms. There is a growing consensus that

VSC (voltage source converter) based HVDC technology is the optimum approach for creating the effective power links to integrate offshore pow-er into national grids. What is less clear is its status as a proven com-mercially available technology. The simple facts are that ABB pioneered VSC-based HVDC technology in its HVDC Light system launched over 14 years ago. Indeed, ABB has 16 HVDC Light projects either delivered or in delivery, with a total capacity of nearly 5,000MW - HVDC Light is a well-proven technology, ready to implement now.

ABB works hand in hand with the UK’s leading power utilities to help them develop and maintain their vital electrical infrastructure and its growth has been outstanding - up by 30 percent in 2010. It has plans to grow even further and needs more people to help achieve its ambitious targets. In 2011, ABB is carrying out a major recruitment drive in the UK, with a particular focus on further enhancing its position as a centre of excellence for grid systems technology. This recruitment programme covers every level, from senior staff to the new technical apprenticeship scheme.

With its unique combination of advanced technology, skilled and experience staff and project delivery know how, ABB looks forward with confidence to helping create the modern, reliable and ef-ficient electricity grids vital to make the best use of Europe’s precious energy resources. ■

For information about careers with ABB

please visit www.abb.co.uk/careers

Enhancing ABB’s UK centre of grid excellence

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 63 21/6/11 15:39:32

Page 64: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Connect renewable power to the grid?

ABB Limited Tel. +44 (0)1785 825 050Fax. +44 (0)1785 819 019E-mail: [email protected]

Naturally.

ABB’s leading edge technologies and life cycle services ensure the effective integration of renewable power into electrical grids, even in the most challenging conditions and over long distances. Our focus on harnessing green energy is making power networks smarter as well as more efficient and reliable, helping to protect the environment and fight climate change. www.abb.com/hvdc

02794 ABB A4 renewables advert 2 - v1 AW.indd 1 20/04/2011 16:31

EE35_ABBHRHRTW.indd 64 21/6/11 15:40:08

Page 65: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

65

WIND ANALYSIS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Site statistics The Met Office have analysed the wind in a

number of regions - here are the results

The success of the global wind

energy industry is directly linked

to the performance and profit-

ability of individual wind projects, which

vary significantly from location to loca-

tion and through time.

Much can be learnt by analysing the

wind over a particular region and a spe-

cific site within the region. This article

provides an overview of wind across

regions and sites within Europe, with an

index of the windiest European regions

over the last season, and secondly an

analysis of the performance of five sites

within the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and

France. With many wind farms today

not performing in line with original

plans, you can use this article to:

• Put the performance of your port-

folio into context based on recent wind

statistics

• Assess whether your farm’s under

or over performance is due to wind or

other factors.

Using data generated from our

weather model we have created a wind

index, ranking 15 regions across Europe

by comparing the average wind speed

for Spring 2011 against the Spring sea-

son long-term average. The league table

shows that, for Spring 2011, most of

Europe experienced winds above the

long-term average especially Iceland,

the British Isles, Scandinavia and much

of the Mediterranean. The main excep-

tions to this were France, the North

Untitled-11 65 22/6/11 14:34:01

Page 66: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

66

WIND ANALYSIS

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

Sea, the Benelux countries and the

Baltic, where winds were nearer aver-

age.

High pressure was a dominant

feature of Spring around the Baltic,

Germany and North Sea areas, hence

the quieter winds, but low pressure

tended to affect most other areas,

especially the Mediterranean, where a

succession of active areas of low pres-

sure moved from west to east. Even

in France and the southern British Isles,

where pressure was high, the squeeze

between the low pressure in the north

and high pressure over Germany meant

that it was particularly windy at times.

We can see some of these trends

in the various graphs. Looking at

Cambridge and Andalucia, we see an

increase in wind strength through the

period, which is completely against the

long-term trend, indicating that it should

be becoming more settled. For Italy

and France, the graphs are very close

to what you would expect, but in the

graph for Lake Constance in Germany

we see the influence of the persistent

high pressure and the significant lack of

wind over the past five months.

The pattern for the past 12 months

shows all the locations experience less

wind in general than the long-term

average would suggest, although not by

a massive amount. The only exception

is Lake Constance in Germany, where

winds were noticeably lower.

The series of graphs shown on these

pages compare monthly average wind

speeds against the long-term aver-

age, over a one-year period for five

sites across the UK, Germany, France,

Italy and Spain. It has been generated

by Virtual Met Mast, the Met Office’s

site-specific wind analysis model-based

Untitled-11 66 22/6/11 14:34:34

Page 67: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

67

WIND ANALYSIS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

tool. This helps select the best onshore

and offshore UK wind farm sites with

increased certainty. Using cutting-edge

science, Virtual Met Mast offers clear,

cost-effective and reliable site-specific

analyses to help you make informed

decisions for wind farm investments.

To help you deliver accurate wind

assessments in advance of a real met

mast installation, the Met Office has

invested in the research and develop-

ment of Virtual Met Mast which:

• Combines cutting-edge science

and super computer technology

• Uses the Met Office’s Numerical

Weather Prediction (NWP) model,

which incorporates observations from

satellites, ships, aircraft, ground stations

and radar as a foundation for generating

site-specific wind farm assessments

• Employs a wide range of continu-

ously monitored wind observations to

produce a core wind analysis record

(extending back over 20 years)

• Provides site-specific data at hub

height for both onshore and offshore

locations

• Allows outputs to be correlated

with real met mast data to derive the

ultimate value from your Virtual Met

Mast assessment

• Provides a variety of essential sta-

tistics, including confidence figures.

The Met Office will be pleased to

generate a wind index for your current

and planned sites and to assist you in

managing the performance of your

wind portfolio. With the Met Office

coverage, level and range of data across

Europe, you can be assured of receiving

first-class analysis and information.

For more information visit

www.metoffice.gov.uk

/energy/renewables/wind.

Untitled-11 67 22/6/11 14:35:03

Page 68: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Harnessingthe windAbove or below the surface, we’re in our comfort zone.

Offshore Oil & GasOffshore Marine RenewablesDiving & Subsea ConstructionCable LayingWorking at HeightInspection, Repair & MaintenanceMarine Access SolutionsDP II Vessels, Jack-up BargesDesign & Fabrication www.red7marine.co.ukLefevre Way, Gapton Hall Industrial Estate, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk Tel +44 (0)1493 441454 Fax +44 (0)1493 718089

Whether we’re working on the seabed or above the waterline, we have the expertise, the experience and the resources to support major renewables projects around the globe.

International marine and subsea contractors

Untitled-19 13 22/6/11 15:59:01

Page 69: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

69

SUPPLY CHAIN

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Moving forwardJonathan Reynolds updates us on

the latest from OrbisEnergy

OrbisEnergy, a state-of-the-

art specialist innovation

and incubation centre

based in Lowestoft, Suffolk, recently

met with the Royal Academy of

Engineering to discuss the future

of the offshore wind industry. The

meeting, held in March was attended

by representatives of the offshore

wind industry, government and other

relevant stakeholders and concluded

that in order for the offshore wind

industry to move forward, it is

essential to establish a supply chain

bolstered by strong government

backing. The meeting’s report,

entitled Making Green Growth Real:

UK Offshore Wind Supply Chain,

argues that this will enable the UK to

gain the greatest possible value from

the opportunities available.

“The government supported the oil

and gas industry in its early days with

generous tax incentives, training pro-

grammes, strategic infrastructure and

supportive regulation,” says Academy

President Lord Browne of Madingley.

“The result today is a world leading

industry, creating jobs in manufacturing

and engineering across the UK. The

UK oil and gas supply chain generates

£16billion each year, including £5bil-

lion in exports, and employs more

than 300,000 people in the UK. That

is a valuable economic legacy, which

was accelerated by early govern-

ment support, and which can now be

repeated for offshore wind.”

However, in order to achieve

this, there are a number of actions

that the government need to take.

According to the industry repre-

sentatives, the government should be

considering: developing a UK wide

strategy focusing on a select number

of ports spread around the coast;

increasing the pool of skilled work-

ers available to the energy indus-

tries; ensuring that health and safety

specifications are rational, clear and

relevant; honouring the timetable for

electricity market reform; kick-start-

ing investment with targeted financial

support during the construction

phase; and indicating its intentions for

further development rounds.

Judy Terry, Suffolk County Council’s

Portfolio Holder for Greenest County,

Economy and Skills, comments: “This

report not only highlights the chal-

lenges in developing a UK supply

chain, but also proposes solutions that

can drive growth.”

OrbisEnergy has a particular focus

Untitled-13 69 22/6/11 14:37:28

Page 70: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

70

SUPPLY CHAIN

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

in supply chain development, and

is at the heart of the rapidly grow-

ing offshore wind sector in the East

Anglia area. More and more compa-

nies with an interest in the offshore

sector are securing a base here,

including Greater Gabbard Offshore

Winds Ltd and East Anglian Offshore

Wind Ltd. The site surrounding

OrbisEnergy in Lowestoft is intended

to become an offshore wind technol-

ogy park that will eventually house

much of the supply chain for offshore

technologies and will help build

links among suppliers, engineers and

manufacturers.

During a visit to the region, Energy

Minister Charles Hendry commented:

“OrbisEnergy brings together people

with ideas and enthusiasm and helps

them get established. This is exactly

the sort of groundbreaking work

we need, bringing all the links in the

chain together.

“East Anglia is one of the most

exciting places in the country for

energy and is doing some of the

most important, inspiring work in

renewables.”

It is certainly true that as a region

East Anglia has much to offer for those

involved in offshore wind. The area’s

previous involvement with the oil and

gas sector brings several advantages.

It means that there is an experienced

workforce available, which has already

worked in offshore operations. The

region also has a solid infrastructure in

place and can offer competitive oper-

ating costs. Additionally, the area can

offer major port facilities such as Great

Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Harwich.

Supporting the report is Peter

Aldous, MP for Waveney who said

“We know that offshore wind is a key

growth sector for the economy and

we are committed to ensuring compa-

nies in the UK benefit from this huge

opportunity.

“Not only can offshore wind gener-

ate significant amounts of electricity,

it can support a new generation of

engineering skills creating long term

jobs which will be key to sustainable

growth.”

OrbisEnergy also makes up part

of the region’s “Corridor of Power”

with its sister facilities Beacon

Innovation Centre in Great Yarmouth

focusing on the offshore gas sectors

and the Leiston Enterprise Centre

focusing on the civil nuclear sectors,

itself close to the Sizewell nuclear

power stations.

www.orbisenergy.net

Untitled-13 70 22/6/11 14:38:07

Page 71: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

The Hub for Offshore Renewables in the East of England

���������������������������������������������������������offshore renewable business

�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������

�����������������������������������������������������new entrants to grow

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

��������������� 01502 563368������������������������������������������������������������������

Project Part-Financedby the European Union

European RegionalDevelopment Fund

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������and regional businesses

��������������������������������������������������

Untitled-2 23 18/4/11 12:22:58

Page 72: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Offshore Wind Farms: Construction & Installation 2011

Bente ØsterbyeVice PresidentMT Hojgaard a/s

Jan K Rønberg, Project Director, Marine and Geotechnical Engineering Department, COWI

Ton Geul, Business Development ManagerVisser & Smit Marine Contracting

Mortem Milthers, Senior Consultant & Co – Owner, Wind and Water Maritime Consultants

� Improve your vessel & crew co-ordination - keep costs under control and deliver on time

� Discover the future of foundations

� Understand the contractual risks in submarine power cable installation

�Optimise project procurement process

E. ON

DONG Energy

Vattenfall

BELUGA HOCHTIEF

Ballast Nedam Offshore

Statoil

MT Højgaard

London Array

BVG Associates

Gain exclusive insights from industry renowned experts plus the biggest projects in UK and Europe:

Tackle the biggest challenges in offshore wind construction project delivery:

“This conference plays a major role to inform about how to achieve our ambitious overall renewable electricity

target share of at least 30% renewables by 2020.”Kai Schlegelmilch, Deputy Head of Division on Hydropower, Wind Energy and Grid

Integration of Renewable Energies, The German Federal Ministry for Environment

Find out more at

www.OffshoreWindConstruction.com/owad

Construction & Installation 2011Embark on your offshore wind project with thoughtfully planned marine coordination & cable installation that delivers clean MW

London | Pre-conference Masterclasses: 13th September | Main Conference: 14th & 15th September

Start your learning experience before the event:Access our Online Resource Centre for exclusive video and podcast interviews, articles and more!

Acess Interview Here:

Building offshore wind farms: The key concernsHear from Peter Clive, Technical Development Offi cer, Sgurr Energy and Renewable Energy Consultant as he takes us through his seasoned view of the offshore wind farm industry, from growing demand to future innovation.

www.OffshoreWindConstruction.com/owad

Download event programme:

QuoteOWAD and

book by 29th July for 15%

discount

Offshore Wind Farms Advert.indd 1 22/06/2011 12:16Untitled-19 14 22/6/11 16:00:36

Page 73: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

73

MARINE

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Economic solutions

Dave March reports on the growth and change

surrounding a well-established diving company

As Managing Director of

Reach Engineering and

Diving Services Limited

(REDS), David Symons’ role includes

everything from setting the culture

of the company to managing its

financial and physical resources. In

such a vibrant and exciting company,

this is no small role. REDS is a well-

established business that has grown

organically over the past 12 years

and is now ready to build on its

brand and reputation.

“We now have the support of

a parent company: The Sturrock &

Robson Group,” says Symons. “They

bring with them financial stability and

a global support network that is cru-

cial in our plans for growth.”

Progress, he adds, will come in the

form of further diversification into the

renewable sector and lateral integra-

tion across the group’s existing busi-

ness streams to provide value added

benefits for the company’s current

and future clients. “Our ambition

is to ‘Create Our future’,” Symons

states.

However, as with all major chang-

es, there will be challenges along the

way. The industry itself faces its own

issues: creating a strong supply chain,

driving down the cost of energy,

finding new sources of financing and

bureaucratic red tape to name but a

few. Meanwhile, REDS will have to

Untitled-23 73 22/6/11 18:07:15

Page 74: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

74

MARINE

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

tackle the fact that some windfarms

are trialling diverless solutions.

“The issue is that most installa-

tion companies are endeavouring to

reduce or eliminate diver intervention

as it is weather dependant. Our chal-

lenge is to prove that diving is still

an integral part of the process and

a major part of the risk mitigation

plan,” explains Symons. “Working

with our clients to determine more

economical and robust solutions will

be the test. We are happy to work

alongside the client in their endeav-

ours to reduce such interventions;

however we will also support them if

these plans do not come to fruition.”

The staff are amply qualified to

provide these solutions. As a com-

pany, REDS has experience across a

wide range of services including civil

engineering, access engineering, oil

& gas services, conventional power,

nuclear energy and renewable energy.

The group’s aim is to create long-term

sustainable partnerships with its existing

customers and major utilities and devel-

opers in the offshore wind sector. “We

will endeavour to do this by providing

safe, quality diving and access engineer-

ing, tailored to the specific needs of our

customers,” states Symons.

The group has been involved in

offshore windfarm works since 2007,

undertaking various operations such

as cable works, scour protection and

mattress placement, inspections and

cable burial and remediation. Its track

record includes work on windfarms

ranging from Thanet and Greater

Gabbard to Sheringham Shoal.

In terms of sector development,

Symons suggests that onshore wind-

farm technology has been basically

‘marine-ised’, modified and installed

offshore rather than the offshore

windfarms being developed as a

separate entity. In his view, that has

been a central issue behind some of

the problems and challenges inherent

in offshore wind today.

However, the ETI ( Engineering

Technologies Institute) has a series

of three programmes, NOVA, Helm

Wind and Deep Water, aimed to

increase deployment, decrease cost

(to that comparable with onshore)

and increase yield.

“These programmes are designed

to tackle the main issues we face

today,” Symons adds.

“In Europe we have a wealth

of experienced organisations with

substantial track records in marine

engineering, often operating in some

of the world’s harshest environ-

ments. It is these companies that will

bring innovation to offshore wind

farm installation. It may have to be

accepted that operational costs may

increase,at least at the outset.”

He also argues that oil and gas is

likely to show the way - particularly

in subsea engineering - and this will

become more apparent as the instal-

lations get into deeper water. North

Sea techniques and methodolo-

gies will be essential for installation,

operations and maintenance. “There

has already been a transfer into the

tidal energy sector during works at

EMEC (European Marine Energy

Centre, Orkney). In the future we

look forward to seeing the delivery of

a comprehensive grid infrastructure

and the advances in technology sur-

rounding deeper water installation,”

Symons states. “For this to happen,

we require continued support from

government on all issues from grid to

ROCs to financial support. However,

it needs to be more intensive and it

needs to be now.”

www.red-services.co.uk

Untitled-23 74 22/6/11 18:07:40

Page 75: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

T E C H N O L O G I E S F O R A G R E E N E R T O M O R R O W

Power Up!

www.teledynemarine.com

SURVEY

COMMUNICATE

MEASURE

CONNECT

inland and coastal currents and offshore waves with Teledyne RD Instruments

the seabed for hazards to construction and sensitive habitats with Teledyne Odom and Teledyne Benthos

wirelessly with your remote subsea sensors with Teledyne Benthos

power and network your subsea and surface instrumentswith Teledyne D.G. O’Brien and Teledyne ODI

E

inland and coastal currents and offshore

eledyne Odom

Teledyne Marine provides the technology and experience

you need for every phase of your marine energy application. W

IND

WAV

ETIDA

L

BENTHOS • D.G. O’BRIEN • ODI • ODOM • RD INSTRUMENTS

����������������������������� ������������������Untitled-1 15 9/5/11 10:37:04

Page 76: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Save time and money!A new, reliable and EFFICIENT way to measure cable...

����������������������������������������������

���������������������������

������������������������������

�����������������������������������

���������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������

������������������������������

������������������the most dependable and accurate cable measurement system...��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Designed and developed by H&S Engineering�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Email: [email protected] www.hs-engineering.co.uk

Carlbom Shipping LtdSpecialist Agents to the Humber

Tel: (01469) 571387Fax: (01469) 571023

E-mail: [email protected] Site: www.carlbom.co.uk

Serving the shipping industry since 1897

Swedish Consulate – Finnish Consulate

Registered member of The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers

Registered Trading Member of The British International Freight Association

OW_Carlbom.indd 1 19/4/11 11:28:43OW_SUM_ADS.indd 15 22/6/11 17:53:46

Page 77: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

77

FABRICATION

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Joseph Ho, Market

Sector Manager for

Metals at BOC,

explains how the

turbine assembly

process can be

speeded up

While the UK has often

been called the windiest

country in Europe, the

challenge lies in harvesting the power

of that natural resource. Offshore

placement of turbines can allow higher

levels of wind capture as the towers

are much larger and the sea surface,

being relatively flat, does not disturb

wind flow. However, installing

towers more than 100m tall in

aggressive environments such as the

North Sea poses significant engineering

challenges.

Much of the fabrication of these

structures is, of course, carried out

ashore before the operational unit is

erected in its final offshore position.

Steel is a major component of these

assemblies as it offers strength and

rigidity in some very harsh conditions.

However, in such conditions, physical

integrity is essential and so the quality

of all aspects of manufacture, including

the welded joints, is critical.

In order to weld segments of wind

turbine towers and their foundations

- high strength steel plates which are

up to 6m wide and 30cm thick - it is

necessary to pre-heat then post-heat

the segments. This is to remove the

risk of hydrogen cracking, as stipulated

in BS EN 1011-2:2001.

Hydrogen cracking starts with lone

hydrogen atoms diffusing through

the metal. At high temperatures, the

Cutting out the bottlenecks

Untitled-4 77 21/6/11 16:18:02

Page 78: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

78

FABRICATION

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

elevated solubility of hydrogen allows

hydrogen to diffuse into the metal (or

the hydrogen can diffuse in at a low

temperature, assisted by a concentra-

tion gradient). When these hydrogen

atoms re-combine in minuscule voids

of the metal matrix to form hydrogen

molecules, they create pressure from

inside the cavity they are in. This pres-

sure can increase to levels where the

metal has reduced ductility and tensile

strength up to the point where it

cracks open.

Pre-heating helps to counter this

by modifying the cooling rates and

encouraging the diffusion of hydrogen

from the weld, particularly if the proc-

ess is maintained through post-heating

on completion of the welded joint.

Because of the amount of time

taken to pre- and post-heat sec-

tions, this procedure can result in

production bottlenecks. It needs to

be completed as quickly as possible.

BOC’s parent, The Linde Group, has

been working on this problem and

has developed a range of special burn-

ers. LINDOFLAMM® burners heat

up steel twice as fast as conventional

methods (oxy-propane burners or

induction heating). Burners are made

to suit each customer’s needs: some

are designed for so-called longitudinal

welds, and some for circular steel seg-

ments (circumferential welds) up to

7m in diameter. They can also be fully

automated.

The technology has recently been

installed by BOC at the premises of

Mabey Bridge, one of the UK’s leading

structural steel contractors. The compa-

ny has a production capacity of 65,000

tonnes and has been building bridges

and other steel structures since 1849.

As with many other steel fabricators,

the company found they were facing a

bottleneck in the pre-heating procedure

prior to welding large steel sections.

BOC proposed using

LINDOFLAMM® technology as a

way to speed up the process. It has a

number of advantages over convention-

al gas technologies which rely on natural

gas or propane. The BOC process:

-increases fuel gas temperature

-improves the rate of heat transfer

-provides precise heat distribution.

Over a number of months, the test

showed some very favourable results.

Mabey Bridge was able to reduce pre-

heat times by over 50 percent while

at the same time reducing process

cost by a similar amount. The lower

moisture content associated with this

process also significantly reduced any

residual hydrogen cracking. As a result,

the company has now adopted the

system in its new manufacturing facility

at Newhouse.

The technology is also being used

elsewhere in Europe. It is already

used as a critical part of the drive by

monopole foundation suppliers to

maximise process efficiencies and pro-

ductivity. In Germany, a trial was carried

out to determine the relative benefits

of LINDOFLAMM®, compared with

other systems using propane and natu-

ral gas for weld seams (both around

the circumference and along the sec-

tion) of wind turbine tower sections.

These measured between 1.6-7.0m

in diameter with a wall thickness of

between 40-100mm. Sections were

4.8m in length. The target was a maxi-

mum of 30 minutes pre-heat time with

a temperature between 100-150°C.

Over a series of tests, the results

- including labour costs - showed that

LINDOFLAMM® was by far the most

cost-effective. In fact, the overall costs

were less than half those of either of

the other two options.

The properties of this new process

allow fabricators to increase throughput

while maintaining (or even improving)

quality and at the same time reduc-

ing overall costs. For an industry that

is being asked to increase production

rapidly in order to help meet Europe’s

renewable energy needs, that sounds

like a very attractive option.

BOC provides a wide range of

applications for metals including

heat treatment and coatings,

welding, cutting and jointing

products, as well as safety supplies

and PPE. For more details, visit the

website at: www.BOConline.co.uk or

email: [email protected]

Untitled-4 78 21/6/11 16:20:22

Page 79: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

BOC - your partner in wind turbine construction

> Your single solution provider for a range of gas, welding equipment, welding consumables and safety equipment

> State of the art applications for increasing productivity, reducing cost and improving fabrication quality

> Dedicated team of manufacturing industry specialists with over 200 years of engineering experience

Contact us today:

0800 111 333

[email protected]

www.BOConline.co.uk

Building the future together

�������������� ������������������OW_SUM_ADS.indd 23 22/6/11 17:14:07

Page 80: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

There’s a new forcemaking wavesin the offshore renewable industry.

CTC Marine Projects brings 20 years of expertise in submarinepower cable installation to the Offshore Renewable sector.With an owned vessel fleet and the world's largest suite ofhigh technology marine trenching vehicles, it has the versatilityto deliver innovative 'right first time' solutions for subsea cableinstallation and burial.

+44 (0) 1325 390 [email protected]

20933 A4 full page ad:20933 A4 full page ad 17/6/11 10:51 Page 1

Untitled-19 16 22/6/11 16:03:34

Page 81: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

81

MANUFACTURING

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Like a number of companies with

a background in heavy engineer-

ing, Harland and Wolff (H&W) is

diversifying into the renewable energy

market and, in particular, work in the

offshore wind engineering. Even within

the context of this industry trend, the

uptake of renewables-based activity at

H&W has been extraordinary. In 2004

renewables accounted for none of the

Belfast company’s turnover; in 2011 the

proportion stands at nearly 80 percent.

H&W is a marine manufacturer

with over 150 years of experience.

Throughout the 20th century the core

of their business was in fabrications for

the oil and gas industry and shipbuild-

ing. Indeed, the ill-fated RMS Titanic

was constructed in this famous Belfast

shipyard and to this day the twin 900

tonne gantry cranes dubbed Samson

and Goliath are city landmarks.

Since 2004, H&W is enjoying some-

what of a resurgence in fortune based,

in no small part, on the burgeoning

offshore wind industry. The company is

involved in the design, manufacture and

delivery of substation platforms, jackets

and foundation systems for offshore

wind developments.

The firm currently hold an range of

contracts relating to a number of off-

shore wind projects. H&W assembled

and installed 3MW turbines for Vestas

at the Robin Rigg farm and in 2010

they won the contract from Siemens

to build two substations for the Gwynt

y Mor windfarm off the coast of North

Wales.

According to Head of Sales and

Marketing David McVeigh, the compa-

ny’s heritage in shipbuilding and the oil

and gas industry made them well-posi-

tioned to capitalise swiftly on opportu-

nities within the offshore wind market.

“What we found,” he comments,

“was that there was a correlation

between our core skills and what was

required by the offshore wind indus-

try in several different areas. We are

well positioned logistically for offshore

developments in the Irish Sea and have

established heavy cranes and quayside

facilities. Furthermore, our oil and gas

experience is transferable in to the

manufacture of jackets and foundations

for the turbines as well as substation

platforms.”

McVeigh believes that as the indus-

try matures a company’s ability to

offer the client efficiency of design and

efficiency of manufacture will be crucial

factors in guaranteeing success. H&W

has a strong supply chain from their

days in the oil and gas industry and a

strong core of experienced staff - solid

Renewables now account for over 75 percent

of Harland and Wolff’s turnover. Alistair Welch

speaks to David McVeigh about the company’s

work in the offshore wind industry and its

stake in the commercial future of the sector

Alternative Ulster

Untitled-4 81 22/6/11 11:29:33

Page 82: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

82

MANUFACTURING

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

credentials for adaptability to the off-

shore wind market.

One of the current problems with

relation to transformer platforms is that

certain questions relating to design are

being asked for the first time, so it takes

longer, than say an oil platform, to

move through the design cycles. Whilst

McVeigh explains that one of H&W’s

strengths is the company’s flexibility

in dealing with differing complexities

of platform, he hopes that a situation

will be arrived at whereby the industry

settles into a proven and established

solution.

H&W is taking an active role in

tackling the issue of cost-reduction

- an area that is of concern to the

entire sector, especially following the

Committee on Climate Change’s

report that criticised the high costs

associated with offshore wind.

“What we have to do as an indus-

try is find a way, across the board,

to reduce the costs associated with

offshore wind hardware and infra-

structure. It is in our own best inter-

est to do so to allow us to compete

with carbon-based technologies,” says

McVeigh.

“We need to look at it from a

supply chain perspective and a design

perspective. Harland and Wolff has

invested significantly in research and

development on the design of our

platforms, taking lessons from many

different stakeholders including opera-

tors, installers and those involved in

maintenance.

“On the manufacturing side, we

have invested heavily in our plant and

equipment to ensure we can reduce

our own costs. We can now offer

more competitive prices as we have

bespoke equipment.”

Untitled-4 82 22/6/11 11:30:17

Page 83: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

83

MANUFACTURING

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

McVeigh goes on to explain that

the company is engaged in an ongo-

ing process of reinvestment. Money

from successful projects is put back

into the company to improve the

competitiveness of its offerings. Such

an approach, it is hoped, will enhance

the commercial viability of offshore

wind in the long term thus securing

the company’s future in manufacturing

for the sector.

When H&W first attempted to

enter the wind industry in 1997 the

company discovered that the market

was not mature enough to be sustain-

able. This is a situation it is understand-

ably keen to avoid this time.

The company aims to be proactive

in driving the offshore market forwards.

For example, H&W is currently sup-

porting the development of Universal

Foundation’s suction bucket monopile

design. “The suction bucket design is

quickly gaining market acceptance,” says

McVeigh. “It is self-installing so does not

require an expensive installation vessel,

and is self-levelling so does not require

a transition piece. This is great news for

developers focusing on driving down

cost plus the environmental benefit of

no piling and easy decommissioning

makes it an all-round winner. But it is

not just about building a better mouse-

trap - more importantly our customers

rely on us to deliver a budget that they

can trust”.

The message from David McVeigh

in conclusion was clear: “Give us

repetition and volume and costs will

come down. The ability to draw on

our proven projects will make future

tenders look all the more secure and

all the more attractive.”

www.harland-wolff.com

Untitled-4 83 22/6/11 11:31:21

Page 84: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Gain unrivalled insight into the offshore wind energy industry

The highest quality conferences, international, cross-sector exhibitions and outstanding networking opportunities make EWEA OFFSHORE 2011 the one event where you can keep ahead of the latest trends and create connections with infl uential people around the world.

It is the world’s largest offshore wind energy event – a place where the industry’s brightest minds meet to:� ����������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ������������������������

Be part of it and join 7,000 international professionals in shaping the offshore landscape of tomorrow’s energy market.

Moving ahead of the energy curveThe world’s largest offshore wind energy conference and exhibition

www.ewea.org/offshore2011

29 November - 1 December 2011Amsterdam, The Netherlands

��������������������������

Register now to benefi t from early bird rates

210x297 (forge).indd 1 09/06/11 11:09Untitled-19 17 22/6/11 16:07:46

Page 85: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

85

INSTALLATION

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Making decisions

Laura Hall, Marketing Manager at CTC Marine

Projects, advises on selecting the right burial

tool for your offshore windfarm project

As offshore wind farm construc-

tion moves to a new level,

challenges are being raised to

the current methods of windfarm array

and export cable installation. Factored

within this installation process is the

selection of the correct burial tool,

which can include mechanical trenchers,

ploughs and jet trenching ROVs.

Selecting the correct piece of equip-

ment holds a great responsibility in the

success of the project. The problems

faced with selecting the wrong burial

tool can include operation at a slower

rate than predicted, difficulty in achieving

the required burial depth and potential

damage to the cable. All of these issues

result in risk and associated costs to the

developer, cable installer and/ or cable

manufacturer.

CTC Marine Projects (CTC), head-

quartered in Darlington, is home to the

world’s largest fleet of high technology

marine trenching and burial equipment.

With this variety of equipment available

to customers, it ensures that there will

be a suitable asset available to meet the

criteria of each individual project.

Every project that CTC undertakes is

evaluated on an individual basis, but as a

general perspective each burial tool car-

ries its own pros and cons when consid-

ered in an offshore windfarm.

Jet trenching is suitable for fine to

loose sands and some clay conditions.

CTC currently has five jet trenching

ROVs available for offshore wind-

farm work (UT-1, PT-1, CMROV1,

CMROV3 and CMROV4).

Jet trenching ROVs provide an ideal

tool for use on offshore windfarms

because their manoeuvrability enables

them to follow any cable route and jet

up to 6m from the cable touchdown

point, reducing the need for alternative

cable protection.

However, jet trenching ROVs are

considered to disrupt the seabed more

than other burial tools and develop-

ers often restrict the use of such tools

at windfarm sites. CTC believes there

is a lack of understanding in how the

tools operate, which is often the reason

behind some of these decisions. CTC’s

jet trenching ROVs are precision tools

and are in fact environmentally friendly

and won’t leave a mass of disruption

after operation.

Ploughing is suitable for a large range

of seabed conditions and soil types

depending on the design and burial

depths. CTC currently has five cable

ploughs suitable for offshore windfarm

work (PCP-1, PCP-2, MD3, MPS and

ACP).

Ploughing is used in a variety of soil

types and particularly for burial depths of

greater than 1.5m. There are advantages

to ploughing, which include the greater

cable burial depth, simultaneous lay and

burial and the simplicity of the tooling.

However, the deeper the trench depth

required, the more power needed to

do this, resulting in the use of more

specialist vessels. The Burial Protection

Index provides a specific operational

risk assessment to assess how deep the

trench needs to be to avoid damage to

Untitled-18 85 22/6/11 15:18:36

Page 86: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

86

INSTALLATION

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

the cable through shipping movements.

This in itself is the basis for an industry

discussion and shared learning from

other sectors.

Despite needing a high bollard pull

vessel to tow the equipment, ploughs

have the capability to trench at speed

in a straight line and are effective for

export cables. However, there is a

downside when ploughing inter-array

cables, with limited direction change on

the approach to the turbine foundations,

leaving exposed lengths of cables ends

requiring another protection solution.

When providing mechanical trench-

ing the tools can operate in jetting and

cutting modes and are capable of work-

ing in sands, clays and rock conditions.

CTC currently has three mechanical cut-

ting vehicles suitable for windfarm work

(SWT-1, T1 and T2) which can operate

from a barge as a cheaper alternative to

a DPII vessel.

Trenching is the ideal tool for the

more onerous soil condition windfarms

where a Burial Protection Index recom-

mends 0.5 to 1.5m burial. Mechanical

trenching vehicles can provide close

approach to the turbine structure but

required that the cable route is man-

aged to avoid sharp changes in direction.

The cable is safely managed away from

the cutting tools path and placed at the

bottom resulting trench slot. Mechanical

trenching is the slowest of the three

methods, both operationally and in the

speed of program, but this technique

has been successful in many projects

where other tools have failed to reach

the target depth.

Another point to consider is the

maintenance required when using the

cutting technique. Since mechanical

trenchers are used in harder soil condi-

tions, they undergo more wear and

tear than ROVs that are free-flying or

ploughs which are towed through the

seabed. This will require more mainte-

nance, possibly required at some time

throughout the duration of the project.

CTC can offer multiple installation

solutions based on 20 years of practi-

cal experience in cable installation. This

offshore experience is fundamental in

being able to understand what tools are

best suited to different seabed condi-

tions and other environmental consid-

erations.

It is important to engage with this

experience early on in a project devel-

opment to take into account correlation

between site soil conditions and the

capabilities of the tools that will be used.

Array cable planning and costing has

been underestimated in early projects

causing unnecessary problems for devel-

opers. As a project size increases, it is

imperative that offshore windfarms are

designed for installation, as well as the

operational and maintenance phase.

CTC owns all of its assets, has long

term charter arrangements for its vessels

and has a dedicated offshore mobilisa-

tion base with a heavy lift quay. This

ensures CTC is both flexible to change

Untitled-18 86 22/6/11 15:19:10

Page 87: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Be In The KnowADCPs for precision current profiling, turbulence, and waves measurements for renewable applications.Gaining a clear understanding of the ocean’s current and wave activity is critical to marine energy site selection and site monitoring. This data ensures optimal performance, as well as safety and environmental compliance.

For nearly 30 years, Teledyne RD Instruments broadband Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) have been the proven choice for precision environmental data for offshore oil and gas applications—and are now embraced for renewable programs as well.

For full details on how our ADCPs are being put to work in your industry, visit: www.rdinstruments.com/renewables.aspx

www.rdinstruments.com

�������������������������� ����������������Untitled-1 23 9/5/11 10:47:13

Page 88: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

INSTALLATION

and delivers on time by controlling all

the key elements of the project.

Health and Safety is also a fundamen-

tal priority for the offshore renewables

sector. Having noted the reduced

health and safety regulations in com-

parison to the oil and gas industry,

it is imperative that this is addressed

for future installations. CTC ensures

the highest level of health and safety

performance is delivered in all sectors

in which it operates, but particular

attention is being paid to this rapidly

growing sector where it is enforcing its

higher standards.

Visit CTC at stand number 150

at Offshore Wind 2011.

www.ctc.tricomarine.com

���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������■

��������������������

������������������������������������������

���������������������������������������������

������������������������

������ ��� ��� ������������ ������������� ������������� ���� ���� ��������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������ ���� �������������� ��� ������������ ���� ���� ��������� ������������������ ���� ���� ���� ���� ������������ ���� �������� ������ ������������������� ������������� ������� ���� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

������������������������������������������������������������������������

������������������������������������������������������������������������

�����������������������

�������������������������������������

�������������������������������

����������������

��

������

EE35_AllEnergytw.indd 88 9/5/11 16:42:17

Untitled-18 88 22/6/11 15:25:38

Page 89: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Confidence•Reduceexposuretoriskwithaccurateandreliable

weatherinformation

•Optimiseresourceplanninganddecreasecosts

•Protectpeopleandassetsbyminimisinghealthandsafetyrisks

•Improveoperationsandmaintenanceplanning

•Makethebestuseofavailableweatherwindows

Met OfficeFitzRoyRoad,ExeterDevon,EX13PBUnitedKingdom

Tel:08709000100Fax:08709005050Email:[email protected]/marine

ProducedbytheMetOffice.©Crowncopyright201111/0160MetOfficeandtheMetOfficelogoareregisteredtrademarks

Tofindouthowourmarineforecastscanhelpyourbusiness,call0870 900 [email protected],quotingreferenceHM2011.Forinternationalenquiries,pleasecall+44 1224 407575.

Page 90: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

90

WORK BOATS

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

CWind is a new name on

the offshore wind scene.

Established for just one

year, it is already doing well. Managing

Director Peter Jorgensen explains: “We

saw a gap in the market and we now

operate a boatshare scheme in which

the skipper has a stake in the boat. We

aim to offer windfarm operators the

best of both worlds; the can-do atti-

tude of the owner operator, combined

with the experienced management

and QHSE procedures of CWind. This

means the boat owner will always be

keen to treat the customer well and do

a good job offshore so that they return

for the services again.”

He explains that the idea represents

a way into the offshore wind market

for experienced boat operators who

are increasingly under threat by the big-

ger companies moving into the market.

The boatshare scheme may help

developers as it offers a new way of

working. “Every project has its own

problems - there are always issues

coming up where things get delayed.

We are aiming to help make the

construction time shorter as one

delay affects all the contractors in the

project,” Jorgensen states.

CWind covers the finances, insur-

ance and health and safety aspects and

obtains the contract from the devel-

oper. “We operate in the whole of the

UK and at the moment the workboats

are mainly used for the construction

stage,” continues Jorgensen. “Currently

they are sent out for a variety of tasks

including transport of technicians, fuel

and equipment. With 20 tonne pay-

load our vessels are amongst the most

capable on the market.”

There are now two boats working

in the boatshare scheme and the group

is just about to build the next one. At

this stage CWind works closely with

CTruk, which is a boat building com-

pany that has the same shareholders

but works as a separate entity.

“Our boats use water jets as

opposed to propellers,” explains

Jorgensen. “This is for health and safety

reasons - they don’t hurt a person if

you get caught. It’s also the only type of

boat where you only need one person

to rescue a man overboard.”

CWind’s key aims are to provide

highly skilled technicians and innova-

tive solutions, offering a more flexible

system to the current alternatives.

They run a training school and cur-

rently have 48 technicians working on

Filling the gapRobert Gerald reports on a new boatshare scheme that offers flexibility

Untitled-7 90 21/6/11 17:22:36

Page 91: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

91

WORK BOATS

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

contracts. The company is also looking

to the future. “With Round 3, work

might become similar to the oil and

gas industry in that you go and live

and work out there for two weeks

and then come back - boats may soon

need to be used as living quarters,”

says Jorgensen. “Another important

consideration is learning from experi-

ence. We are working on four different

windfarms with our company and have

noticed that people don’t seem to

learn from each other - the same mis-

takes are being made.”

As the industry develops, Jorgensen

knows that there will be key techni-

CTruk Boats

CTruk Boats, situated on the east

coast, builds mulit-purpose catama-

rans. It is currently introducing its

flexible pod system for windfarm

work boats.

The company has designed ves-

sels specifically to meet the needs

of windfarm work through a variety

of removable pods. The flexible

system has been trialled for a year

while on charter to DONG Energy

on the Walney Offshore Windfarm.

Manging Director Ben Simpson

explains: “Our design team knew

there was scope to improve the

types of work boats supporting the

growing windfarm industry while

keeping the safety aspect of offshore

work at the forefront of the design.

The pod system enables the boat’s

operators to change her layout

within a few hours to suit the work

being carried out. By moving the

wheelhouse from the front to the

back for example, operators can eas-

ily adapt the vessel to ferry personnel

or carry out fuel or generators.”

www.ctruk.com

cal innovations in O&M, particularly

in accessing the turbines when things

go wrong. For now, though, CWind is

focussing on developing a cost-effective

way of working and building its own

reputation with the energy companies.

“We need to get recognised by our

customers and develop from there. At

the moment we are doing well and

getting a good reputation,” concludes

Jorgensen.

www.cwind247.com

Untitled-7 91 21/6/11 17:28:06

Page 92: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

In association with

Supporting associations:

Learn how you can be part of TheInfrastructure Show and call 020 7728 4659/4624 or email [email protected] priority code EXOWE

www.infrastructure-show.com

Join leading exhibitors:

Regist

er

for f

ree

entry

today

! Quote

EOW

E1

The show’s Utilities Hub provides the latest updates on financing and buildingrenewable energy infrastructure and examines the viability of offshore wind and theopportunities that exist for the supply chain.

Why exhibit?� Engage with senior engineering

contractors and consultants

� Showcase your product innovation to keyindustry clients

Why visit?

� Receive major project updates fromcompanies like Thames Water and TheCrown Estate

� Attend over 90 free seminars discussingchallenges, innovation and best practiseacross different industry sectors

The Infrastructure Show provides a unique forum for civil engineers toexplore the latest innovations and discuss the challenges of deliveringmajor infrastructure projects including offshore wind.

Discover innovative solutions for delivering offshore wind infrastructure projects

Untitled-19 18 22/6/11 16:14:08

Page 93: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

93

EMPLOYMENT

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING SUMMER 2011

Career development

Theone Wilson

interviews Anna Botten

of Siemens to find out

what they are looking

for in their staff

A position at Siemens could, it

seems, lead you anywhere.

The company can offer a

wide range of opportunities and, says

Recruiter Anna Botten, the group

places a great deal of importance

upon personal development. The

flexible approach to careers means

that staff are able to move between

different sectors of the business e.g.

from the industry or healthcare sec-

tors to the energy sector and vice

versa.

Botten herself has worked at the

company since 2010, moving to

Siemens after having held a similar

role with Babcock International

Group. She now oversees the

recruitment process from beginning

to end for Siemens Wind Power,

which is part of Siemens Energy sec-

tor in the UK. Her role embraces

agreeing sourcing strategies with

hiring managers, running advertising

campaigns, managing applications and

conducting interviews through to job

offers. Positions are usually advertised

in industry specific publications and

standard job boards, alongside direct

recruitment and sourcing, although

this may alter depending on the role

itself. However, recruiting for this

sector can be “quite a challenge”,

due to a significant skills shortage of

people coming from a renewables

background.

“We recruit for many different

roles and all levels, including project

managers, commercial project man-

agers, project controllers, sales and

business development managers, site

managers, offshore installation manag-

ers, specialist offshore lifting supervi-

sors, power electronics engineers,

health and safety managers, to name

LEFT: Inverclyde waterfront

Untitled-5 93 21/6/11 16:37:36

Page 94: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

94

EMPLOYMENT

SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

but a few,” says Botten. “The con-

struction department within the divi-

sion has seen a significant amount of

growth with a plan to recruit around

180 technicians in this financial year

alone. The department includes

installation technicians, commission-

ing technicians, and blade techni-

cians, who will work onsite installing

Siemens wind turbines, both offshore

and onshore.”

Siemens Wind Power is also invest-

ing heavily in research and develop-

ment. The group has R&D Centres

of Competence at Keele University

for power converters, and another

centre of competence at Sheffield

University for generators. The group’s

Transmission & Distribution business

has an R&D facility at Manchester for

grid connections. The specific engineer-

ing disciplines that Siemens recruits for

at its R&D centres are a real recruit-

ment challenge - according to Botten.

Siemens is currently recruiting for

development engineers for software,

modelling and power electronics as

well as generator structural design engi-

neers and bearings engineers.

Health and Safety is an absolute

priority for Siemens Wind Power, says

Botten, “delivered through our policy

of Zero Harm”. Not surprisingly, given

this focus, there is currently a big drive

to recruit HSE coordinators and HSE

officers. Some of these positions will be

office based and some will be working

on site, including offshore on installation

vessels. Those looking at the renewa-

bles sector could find themselves work-

ing on projects in the Siemens Wind

Power portfolio, such as Gwynt-y-Môr,

London Array and Walney Wind

Farms.

Siemens Wind Power is headquar-

tered in Brande, Denmark and the

majority of new starters will spend

a significant amount of time there,

developing their knowledge of the

Siemens product portfolio as well as

establishing relationships with Danish

colleagues. Siemens UK headquarters

are in Frimley, Surrey and the company

has onshore and offshore sites across

the UK.

Siemens as an organisation invests

heavily in its people through training

and development. Specific training

requirements are dependant on the

role - for example wind power service

technicians will spend a period of six

weeks at Siemens’ wind power train-

ing facility in Newcastle, where they

will undergo various training courses

including working at heights, HSE and

offshore survival. The group also has

designated onboarding coordinators,

who conduct inductions for all new

starters joining Siemens Wind Power.

The company also offers the chance

to gain professional qualifications such

as its project management qualifica-

tion, PM@Siemens, which is recognised

externally throughout the project man-

agement profession.

In terms of the application process,

all applications are initially submit-

ted through the online careers page

(www.siemens.co.uk/careers). The

recruiter then reviews applications,

shortlists and conducts both telephone

and face-to-face, competency based

interviews. Depending on the role,

some candidates will undergo online

tests, whilst others will be required to

attend assessment centres. If successful,

candidates will receive a verbal offer,

followed by a written offer of employ-

ment and contract.

“We look for CVs and applications

that are laid out clearly and concisely,

with the right qualifications and rel-

evant experience in relation to the

job specification. Ideally candidates will

have experience of working on large-

scale, multi disciplined engineering and

construction projects; however this

requirement may change dependant on

the vacancy,” says Botten.

There are also opportunities within

the graduate scheme at Siemens Wind

Power, which will be taking on around

12 graduates in this financial year. The

graduate programme is two years

in duration and the new starters are

exposed to different departments

within Siemens Wind Power, across

Projects, Sales and Commecial and

HSE. Overall, says Botten, Siemens

Wind Power is able to offer significant

career progression and development

opportunities for those wanting to

invest in a long-term career. “The

renewable energy sector is going to

experience such a rapid growth rate

over the coming years. Siemens Wind

Power is excellently positioned to

capitalise on this growth as the lead-

ing offshore wind power player in

the UK, with an equally large onshore

business. It is really a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity,” Botten says. “It’s a great

organisation to join and there is a real

sense of excitement about the growth

we will see over the medium to long

term future.”

www.energy.siemens.com

Untitled-5 94 21/6/11 16:38:20

Page 95: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

OFFOFFSSOFFSOFFOFFSOFF HOHOREREWINDPOWWINDPOWEREROFFOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFSOFFOFFOFFSOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFOFFSSSSSSOFFOFFOFFSOFFOFFOFFOFFSOFFOFFOFFSOFFSOFFSOFFOFFOFFSOFFOFFSOFFOFFSOFFOFFOFFOFFSOFFOFFOFF HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOREREREWINDPOWWINDPOWWINDPOWWINDPOWWINDPOWWINDPOWWINDPOWWINDPOWERERERwww.offshorewindexpo.org

U.S. Offshore Wind Now a RealityThe coastal waters and Great Lakes of North America hold tremendous potential for offshore wind development. Offshore wind projects are well established in Europe, with nearly 20 years of industry experience, and stakeholders are readying for the industry to make the jump across the Pond.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s 20% wind scenario estimates that 54 GW of offshore wind will be included in the 300 GW required to meet 20% of the U.S. electricity needs in 2030. That estimate includes the immense resources found in the Great Lakes.

This event gathers the leaders in this cutting edge segment of the wind industry and features an exhibit hall full of new technology, solutions, and products fueling offshore development opportunities. The education program shares investment strategies, growth plans, and supply solutions to enable attendees to make informed decisions about how best to get involved in offshore wind.

AWEA_Offshore'11_WPM.indd 1 6/17/11 3:34 PMUntitled-19 19 22/6/11 16:15:34

Page 96: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

NuclearEnergy

200 GLOBAL PROJECTS

WORTH 1000BILLION USD

1800 GLOBAL PROJECTS

WORTH 1700BILLION USD

Conventional/Thermal Energy

RenewableEnergy

650 GLOBAL PROJECTS

WORTH 1600BILLION USD

EIC Connect POWER EAEM Advert.indd 2 3/6/11 09:30:37Untitled-19 20 22/6/11 16:16:52

Page 97: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

e n g i n e e r i n g

e n g i n e e r i n g

YES! I would like an annual subscription to OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING at the rate of £165

Name Job title

Company

Address

Postcode

Tel Email

Signed

PLEASE FAX BACK ON +44 (0)1926 408206 OR MAIL TO ENERGY ENGINEERING 6A New Street, Warwick, CV34 4RX, UK EMAIL confi rmation can be made to [email protected]

OFFSHORE WINDENGINEERINGSUBSCRIPTIONOFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING is produced as a special edition of ENERGY ENGINEERING magazine four times a year.

OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING provides the latest information on the technology, techniques and supply chain resources for the Offshore Wind industry. These special editions feature articles and interviews with key industry players, looking at progress to-date and how to meet the challenges ahead. Each issue includes in-depth analysis on projects and developments, innovations and expertise available in the sector, together with case studies and technical fi les.

Subscribe to OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING and you will also receive:■ monthly e-newsletters featuring the latest news updates, announcements, reports and market intelligence ■ The 2011 offshore wind directory. ■ An annual subscription (six issues) to ENERGY ENGINEERING magazine.

An annual subscription to OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING PLUS all the benefi ts outlined above costs just £165.

To subscribe, just fi ll out the form below and return it via post, fax or email. We will then send you an invoice with your fi rst issue.

Steve WelchManaging [email protected]

e n g i n e e r i n g

SUMMER 2010SPECIAL EDITION FROM MAGAZINE

INSTALLATION VESSELSTECHNOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES

regional developmentTHE PLACE TO BE

ROUNDTHREEWORKING TOGETHER

OW_Cover_TEMPb.indd 1 24/6/10 11:28:27

Subscribe to will also receive:■

updates, announcements, reports and market intelligence■

�������������������������������������

�����������������������

�������������■���������������������

������������■�������������������

EE27_FrontCoverHR.indd 1

18/2/10 13:35:22

Regular topics covered by OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING include:-

■ project delivery ■ research & development ■ environmental issues ■ planning and consenting ■ wind resource and monitoring ■ grid, networks and infrastructure ■ regional development & skills base ■ supply chain ■ ports ■ fi nance and funding ■ turbines & blades ■ construction ■ vessels & installation ■ operation & maintenance ■ cables & connectors ■ manufacturing techniques ■ reliability ■ international perspectives ■ consultancy ■ production & manufacture ■ health & safety ■ design concepts ■ technology transfer & innovation ■ substructure design & manufacture

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Untitled-24 1 27/10/10 12:44:27

Page 98: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

98 SUMMER 2011 OFFSHORE WIND ENGINEERING

Access all areas

Voith Turbo Marine Engineering has

developed the Voith Offshore Shuttle,

a new ship concept for wind parks.

Its special feature, the MOTS-system

(Momac Offshore Transport System) is

installed at the bow. The new system

consists of a swivel arm robot, which

allows safe transfers of people and

goods from vessel to vessel or from

vessel to offshore wind energy plant.

According to Voith, there is a

growing market for this concept. On

average, offshore wind energy plants

have to be accessed two to three

times a year for maintenance work.

The time slots during which service

personnel can be safely transferred

to these plants from feeder ships

are often very short, due to the

weather conditions and high seas.

With MOTS and the Voith Offshore

Shuttle, the time slot can be extend-

ed by up to 35 percent. Apart from

the six-man crew, the ship can hold

up to 12 service technicians and is

capable of operating in the offshore

wind park for up to 14 days.

www.voithturbo.com

GigawatchMoney saver

Aubin, a supplier of specialist chemicals

to the energy industry, has launched a

Gel Lift System (GLS) that could cut

costs when installing offshore renewa-

bles infrastructure.

The technology, which uses a novel

low-density gel, can be used to install

all types of offshore renewables

including wind, wave and tidal. The gel can be reused and is non hazardous

and environmentally responsible.

Aubin’s Managing Director Paddy Collins says: “We believe that GLS will

enable developers to take turbines out from shore when they are manufac-

tured without having to have several units complete before any installation can

take place. With each turbine costing up to £5million and space at fabrication

yards tight, it’s extremely beneficial to offer a system that means you can install

as you build. It is also quick to market, as installers do not have to commit the

investment to go out and buy a vessel or wait for one to become available.”

www.aubin.co.uk

Untitled-3 98 22/6/11 10:53:10

Page 99: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

Browse further examples of our work at www.chpv.co.ukTel: +44 (0)1502 500272 Email: [email protected] Fax: +44 (0)1502 508241

Image library - more than two million photographsVideo library - 100s of hours of footage from around the world

Over 50 years experience in the energy sector.100% safety record.

One of the UK’s leading offshore and onshore media specialists

Photography on sea, land & air

Jacket & platform surveys

HDTV filming and editing

Aerial surveys

Training Dvds

PR services

Gas

Renewables

Wind

Tidal

Wave

Oil

Untitled-19 21 22/6/11 16:18:35

Page 100: Offshore Wind Summer 2011

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Advert May.pdf 17/5/11 15:45:23

OW_SUM_ADS.indd 22 22/6/11 16:24:09