Offshore
Construction commences for Dogger Bank Wind Farms
One of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors puts first spade in the ground as construction kicks off for world’s largest offshore wind farm.
Dogger Bank Wind Farms, a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor, is made up of three offshore wind farm sites in the North Sea, totalling 3.6 gigawatts (GW): Creyke Beck A (1.2GW), Creyke Beck B (1.2GW) and Teesside A (1.2GW). All three sites were successful in the UK’s September 2019 Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions.
The wind farm will make use of the world’s most powerful turbine, GE’s Haliade-X, and will be capable of generating enough renewable energy for over 4.5 million homes each year.
Jones Bros Civil Engineering, one of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors, headquartered in Ruthin, North Wales, has been awarded the contract to install the onshore cable infrastructure for the Creyke Beck A and Creyke Beck B sites. The works will also involve completing bulk earthworks at the onshore HVDC convertor station locations in East Riding.
The onshore infrastructure includes the installation of approximately 20 miles of electrical cables within ducts. The ducts will be installed within trenches and where required via drilling under existing infrastructure and natural obstacles.
The completed onshore cable will transport the power generated by the two offshore wind farm sites, Creyke Beck A and Creyke Beck B from the landfall point at Ulrome to the new convertor stations (one per project) in the south of Beverley. The cable route will connect to the existing National Grid substation at Creyke Beck, Cottingham.
The works contract also includes vegetation clearance, preparing access junctions and construction of a temporary access road to facilitate the main works, and installation of pre- and postconstruction land drainage.
The full works are expected to take approximately two years to complete.
Steve Wilson, Managing Director of Dogger Bank Wind Farms, said: “Getting the first spade in the ground is a significant milestone on any project, but for what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, this is a major moment for a project that has already been over a decade in the making.
“Dogger Bank Wind Farms will play a critical role in the UK’s effort to achieve net-zero through the use of low-carbon fuel sources and we’re incredibly pleased to work with one of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors, Jones Bros, as we commence construction and start delivering Dogger Bank.”
Garod Evans, Jones Bros Contracts Director, said: “We have worked with SSE Renewables on major schemes previously and we are delighted to be developing our partnership through working with them and now Equinor on the onshore works for Dogger Bank Wind Farms.
“There will be up to 100 Jones Bros personnel, from management to apprentices and trainees, on site at the height of the works.
“This is a really significant project to be involved with and it’s exciting for us to play a part in delivering support to what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.”
Offshore
The world’s most powerful floating offshore wind turbine rolled off the line at CRRC’s Sheyang production site
CRRC’s Qihang 20MW floating offshore wind turbine successfully rolled off the production line in Sheyang, Jiangsu. As the world’s most powerful floating offshore wind turbine, Qihang is expected to break the geographical limitations and extend wind power generation to even broader deep blue seas.
The wind turbine features a sweeping area equivalent to more than 7 standard football fields, a blade tip speed of up to that of a high-speed train (HST), and a power level of 20 megawatts. A single unit provides the ability to output clean electricity by 62 million kilowatt hours per year, which addresses the need of about 37,000 households, saving 25,000 tons of coal and reducing 62,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
In addition, the wind turbine is designed with leading concepts, aiming to provide such advantages as system modularity, superior stability, and across-chain collaboration. Modular unit, function and platform allow for optional power levels, functionalities, bases and floating platforms. With wave and wind resistant floating design, it incorporates customized components with low failure rate, high fault tolerance, and strong vibration resistance, which underwent extensive experimental verifications to ensure safe, stable, and reliable operation. Based on the proven HST technology and rich experience of CRRC, and supported by the most comprehensive wind power equipment supply chain, it offers leadership in terms of product performance and core technology, and is described by many as “standing HST” created by CRRC.
Consulting
DNV tapped to help lenders and investors assess USD 40 billion worth of U.S. offshore wind projects
DNV is performing due diligence to enable the financing of eight offshore wind projects on the United States’ Atlantic Coast. The announcement follows news from DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2024 report, which forecasts that about 10 GW of fixed offshore wind is set to be installed in the U.S. between 2040 and 2050. While the industry has seen headwinds recently, and the latest Energy Transition Outlook has tempered its overall forecast for offshore wind, projects are still moving steadily forward, as reflected by the robust financing activity in the U.S. The offshore wind projects DNV is assessing collectively represent 13 GW of clean energy capacity, which would increase the U.S.’s total wind power capacity by nearly 9% if they become operational.
The technical due diligence DNV is providing to the financial stakeholders for these offshore wind projects is grounded in sound engineering judgement which is very important for developers, lenders and investors. This methodology is an evolution of the company’s proven approach that has enabled on-time financing for thousands of onshore wind, solar, transmission and battery energy storage projects in the U.S. and Canada.
DNV has also established local, in-house expertise around the intricacies of U.S. project finance and the structures that have emerged since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), such as transferability. Many stakeholders in the U.S. offshore wind industry are headquartered in Europe and rely upon DNV for its on-the-ground knowledge of the U.S. financing landscape. For these eight offshore wind projects, DNV is providing pre-commitment and construction monitoring due diligence to ensure all stakeholders understand the risks of the project prior to final investment decision and further capitalize on tax credit monetization opportunities from the IRA. These services are delivered within established financing mechanisms and processes to ensure on-time closing.
“So far, three of the eight offshore wind projects we’re involved with have reached a final investment decision and the balance is making rapid progress towards this milestone. Our customers are now getting steel in the water and creating benefits for local communities,” said Richard S. Barnes, region president for Energy Systems North America. “We’ve learned that the offshore wind projects getting financed and moving into the development and construction stages are the ones where developers can hit narrow installation windows because they’ve identified and mitigated risks around vessel availability, supply chain, and evolving regulatory requirements.
” DNV’s U.S.-based offshore wind team enabled clients to succeed in California’s 2022 offshore auction, providing in-depth assessments of the technical, societal, and environmental risks around offshore wind development in Oregon and Maine, and are addressing barriers on behalf of the industry to accelerate the deployment of high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. This regional team is backed up by a global network of experts that has assessed 50 GW of offshore wind energy.
“DNV uses our advisory expertise to help offshore wind projects increase performance and minimize risks. Success relies on understanding the dependencies between different parts of the offshore wind value chain – this is why we take a full lifecycle approach to managing risks and reducing costs,” concluded Barnes.
Offshore
BOEM Issues Offshore Wind Research Lease to State of Maine
Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the execution of the nation’s first floating offshore wind energy research lease. The lease area covers a little under 15,000 acres located 28 nautical miles offshore Maine on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and could allow for the deployment of up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines capable of generating up to 144 megawatts of renewable energy.
The research array will allow the State, the fishing community, wildlife experts, the offshore wind industry, and others to conduct in-depth studies and thoroughly evaluate floating offshore wind as a renewable energy source in the region. Research conducted on the array will evaluate its compatibility with existing ocean uses and assess its potential effects on the environment, supply chains, and job creation.
“Floating wind opens up opportunities to produce renewable energy in deeper water farther offshore.” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “Signing the Gulf of Maine research lease demonstrates the commitment by both BOEM and the State of Maine to promote a clean energy future for the nation. It is another example of a successful all-of-government effort to reach the Administration’s offshore wind energy goals and to combat the impacts of climate change.”
Information gathered from the research lease will inform responsible commercial floating offshore wind development in the future and allow BOEM and Maine to capitalize on innovative technology, while protecting local and national interests and industries.
“Clean energy from offshore wind offers an historic opportunity for Maine to create good-paying jobs, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions,” said Maine Governor Janet Mills. “This lease between the State and BOEM to support the nation’s first research array devoted to floating offshore wind technology is the result of extensive engagement with stakeholders and communities across our state to establish Maine as a leader in responsible offshore wind, in balance with our state’s marine economy and environment.”
Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has approved the nation’s first nine commercial scale offshore wind projects with a combined capacity of more than 13 gigawatts of clean energy — enough to power nearly 5 million homes. In that time, the Department has held five offshore wind lease auctions – including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. The Department also recently announced a schedule to hold up to 12 additional lease sales through 2028. On August 14, BOEM will hold an offshore wind lease sale for the Central Atlantic, auctioning areas offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia that could generate up to 6.3 gigawatts of clean energy and power up to 2.2 million homes.
BOEM received an application from the State of Maine for a renewable energy research lease in October 2021. On March 20, 2023, BOEM issued a Determination of No Competitive Interest for the area identified in Maine’s application.
BOEM engaged with the State of Maine Governor’s Energy Office throughout the application review and lease development process to develop a lease that yields high-quality research on offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine. On May 24, 2024, BOEM offered a research lease to the State of Maine after completing a Final Environmental Assessment and associated finding of no significant impacts.
As a research lease, the State of Maine or its designated operator will propose and conduct research regarding environmental and engineering aspects of the proposed project. This information will be made public and used to inform future planning, permitting, and construction of commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects in the region.
Construction activity on the research array is not likely to occur for several years. The lessee is first required to submit a Research Activities Plan to BOEM, which will undergo environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. Additional details on the timing of construction will become clearer as the permitting process progresses.
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