8 minute read
First turbine mooring
8 The DemoSATH project has completed the next step of its
off shore works, with the mooring system now in place
FLOATING TURBINE MOORING COMPLETED FOR SPAIN’S GRID
The DemoSATH mooring, anchoring and quick connect solution will connect the first floating turbine to the Spanish grid, scheduled to be trialled later this year.
The project, led by Saitec Offshore Technologies in collaboration with RWE, has achieved a key milestone by completing the pre-lay of the mooring system.
“It is great to see that the DemoSATH project has completed the next step of the offshore works, with the mooring system now in place – an important milestone on our way to the installation and commissioning of the floating turbine later this year,” said Chris Willow, head of floating wind development at RWE Renewables. ”We as RWE see great potential for floating wind farms worldwide – especially to unlock opportunities in countries with deeper coastal waters.”
Landmark project
Maersk Supply Service undertook the installation of the six mooring lines and six anchors of DemoSATH at the BIMEP test site from the anchor-handling vessel Maersk Mariner.
The work comprised the installation of hybrid lines of chain and fibre rope and six drag anchors with Maersk Mariner. The mobilisation and loading of the mooring lines elements and preparation of the vessel was done at Punta Sollana quay, in the Port of Bilbao, where the onshore construction of the floater is currently under way.
These lines will be recovered from the seabed for a plug and play connection to the unit later this year.
“The installation of the SATH mooring lines worked perfectly. In the future, we will use them in all our commercial projects that are currently in the planning stage. The operations have been a great success since the earliest stage of design and the execution has been outstanding,” said Araceli Martínez, chief of engineering at Saitec Offshore Technologies.
Meanwhile, the onshore construction of the prestressed concrete floating platform continues at the Port of Bilbao. Works on the transition piece, single point mooring and boat landing are also carried out as well as installation works inside the floaters. This will be followed by the launching operation to put afloat the platform that will be then transported to its final deployment site at BIMEP.
The DemoSATH means a stepping stone in the SATH Technology commercialisation roadmap. The 2MW unit will be tested against real sea operating conditions in a harsh Atlantic environment. The test field at BiMEP facilities are two miles off the Biscay coast, where the sea is 85 metres deep.
This project aims to collect data and gain real-life knowledge from the construction procedure, operation and maintenance of DemoSATH floating wind platform for a period of two years.
DemoSATH will generate sufficient electricity to cover the energy demand of more than 2,000 local households.
Major project proves importance of waterways
Remediation of a former coal park by the Awirs power plant near the Autonomous Port of Liège in Belgium has been completed after three months mobilising 220,000 tonnes of soil by waterway.
Envisan, a subsidary of civil engineer Jan de Nul, also used its physiochemical washing process to transform almost 120,000 tonnes of the soil into sand and aggregate so it can be re-used in the construction industry.
The works were carried out in deconstructing a former coal park at the Awirs power plant in Flémalle, near Liège.
Over three months, 120,000 tonnes soil were extracted from the coal yard and 100,000 tonnes brought back via the port, which is Belgium’s first inland port. ”This made it possible to take 120 lorries off the road for wach waterway transport and to reduce CO2 emissions by using an eco-friendly means of transport,” said Raf Anné, Project Director for the site with ENGIE, which was also involved in the project. ”This responsible management approach has been implemented by ENGIE since 2016 for the removal of ash from the Hénâ slag heap at the Awirs, from where they are transported via a covered conveyor belt to the Meuse River. From there, it is transported by barge to the cement plants. Just like ash, soil has a second lease of life.”
Following the clearance of the site ENGIE will build a combined gas and steam turbine power plant.
8 The Awirs site that relied on
water transport to mobilise 200,000 tonnes of soil
Heerema will install 64 off shore monopiles in the latest German wind farm project.
The foundations for 64 offshore wind monopiles will be transported and installed in the German North Sea by Heerema Marine Contractors, the firm has announced.
He Dreiht is the third wind farm in the North Sea operated by German energy firm EnBW, which also operates the Hohe See and Albatros sites. It also has two wind farms in the Baltic Sea.
He Dreiht will be the firm’s largest in terms of generating capacity, at 900MW.
According to a report in December by the Center for Strategic and International Studies based in Washington, DC, Germany is third in the world in offshore wind capacity with about 7.7GW. It plans to increase capacity by about 290% to 30GW by 2030, the CSIS says, as part of its strategy to develop the production of hydrogen using offshore wind.
“The government has significantly scaled back its economic support for developers in recent years, pointing to recent zero-subsidy bids as an indication that the industry can compete on its own now,” the CSIS says.
Heerema will deploy its IHC IQIP double-walled noise mitigation system
HEEREMA TO INSTALL 64 WIND MONOPILES
NMS-10,000 to reduce noise pollution in installing the monopiles, the company says.
“We are committed to increasing our market share in large monopile installations for offshore wind, and are proud to be chosen to enable EnBW to deliver 900MW of renewable energy,” said Jeroen van Oosten, Heerema’s offshore wind director.
8 Strohm’s TCP is lightweight
and non corrosive
HYDROGEN AND WIND CONCEPT REVEALED
Thermoplastic Composite Pipe maker Strohm and hydrogen supplier Lhyfe will work together on on and off shore hydrogen projects.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Strohm and Lhyfe to develop hydrogen transport solutions and the first floating wind turbine to be integrated with a hydrogen production system.
The floating facility by France-based Lhyfe, which has named it Nerehyd, is as yet a concept, with the prototype to be produced in 2025. The €60 million concept incorporates a hydrogen production facility on a floating platform connected to a wind turbine and can be adapted to on or off-grid applications, from single wind turbines to large-scale wind farm developments.
Hydrogen produced by Lhyfe will be carried in the Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP) made by Strohm, based in the Netherlands, which first brought its product to market in the oil and gas industry in 2007.
It claims that its TCP reduces the total installed and life cycle cost for subsea flowlines and risers and can reduce the carbon footprint of pipeline infrastructure.
“We share the same vision that renewable hydrogen will be an important part of the transition from fossil fuel,” said Strohm CEO Martin van Onna.
Produced at its plant in The Netherlands, the TCP is corrosion resistant and does not fatigue or suffer from issues associated with using steel pipe for hydrogen, such as ’embrittlement’, van Onna says.
It can be manufactured in long, spoolable lengths and pulled directly into the wind turbine generator to build offshore wind farm infrastructure. ”Lhyfe and Strohm recognise the value of collaborating in the offshore wind-tohydrogen space, where TCP, combined with optimised topside components such as electrolysers, deliver a safe, high-quality, and dependable hydrogen transfer solution,” said a joint statement by the two firms. ”The flexibility of TCP also facilitates finding the optimal configuration for operators and integrators in the growing offshore renewable hydrogen production industry.”
UK fi rm hired to manage estuarine shoreline
Moff att & Nichol has begun an estuarine shoreline management plan in the US.
UK-based global infrastructure advisory firm Moffatt & Nichol has embarked on the plan for the town of Nags Head, North Carolina, with partner Biohabitats.
The plan, announced earlier this year, will address stormwater management, adjacent land use, regulatory and permitting context, as well as future impacts of sea level rise.
Seawork exhibitor Moffatt & Nichol is providing services related to energy and erosion modeling, as well as structural engineering services.
The Town of Nags Head Estuarine Shoreline Management Plan will comprehensively address the management of 17 miles of estuarine shoreline in the town while balancing land use, ecosystem health, public health, and recreational opportunities.
The objectives are to prioritise shoreline management opportunities through a biogeographical inventory of existing shorelines, historical change, and impacts; identify shoreline best management practices, uses, and policy; explore legal barriers to shoreline management natural solutions and regulatory issues; and consider the impacts of future hazards, such as sea level rise, on the estuarine system.
Moffat & Nichol will help identify strategies and sites where the shoreline can be managed to safeguard critical structures, enhance habitat values and provide aesthetic and community benefits.
The project also aims to build public awareness of the risks to the current shoreline from sea level rise and storm events, and describe regulatory barriers and pathways to implementation of nature-based solutions.
In all work, stakeholders will ensure the preservation of ongoing recreational access to the sound.
Moffatt & Nichol provides engineering and consulting services to clients in the marine terminal, transport, energy, environmental, federal and urban development markets around the world. 8 One of Seawork 2022’s Marine Civils
