Offshore Wind Journal 3rd Quarter 2016 by rivieramaritimemedia

3rd Quarter 2016 www.owjonline.com

Journal

UK market buffeted

by Brexit and departmental changes

Dong drives further innovation on gigawatt-scale windfarm

Dutch tender puts offshore wind on a par with conventional power generation

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The combination of our wind business with Gamesa follows a clear and compelling logic in which scale is the key to making renewable energy more cost-effectiveâ&#x20AC;? Joe Kaeser, president and chief executive officer, Siemens, see page 10

Think inside the box. The new SWT-8.0-154

Can a new turbine deliver greater business benefit and investment security with only minimum upgrades? Yes, it can. The new SWT-8.0-154, the latest addition to the Offshore Direct Drive platform, delivers more energy using certified, proven technology and re-using most of the components and supply chain as its predecessors. Because â&#x20AC;&#x153;thinking outside the boxâ&#x20AC;? sometimes means looking inside it.

siemens.com/wind

contents

3rd Quarter 2016 volume 5 issue 3

08 10

Regulars 5 COMMENT 6 BEST OF THE WEB

News focus 8 Siemens’ new blade-building factory in the UK is nearly ready to enter into production 10 GE and Senvion are said to be interested in acquiring Adwen, the joint venture between Gamesa and Areva, following the announcement that Siemens and Gamesa are to merge

Area reports 14

13 The German Parliament’s approval for a plan to reform the country’s renewable energy law is a mixed bag 14 The Borssele I and II windfarms have set a new benchmark for the levelised cost of energy from offshore wind – not just in The Netherlands but in Europe as a whole 17 June and July saw further important developments in the US offshore wind market, with nacelles for the first project being shipped 18 The offshore wind industry in South Korea received a significant boost in July 2016 when the government there announced that it planned to invest 42 trillion won (US$36 billion) in renewable energy projects 20 Foundation and turbine installation work for the Formosa 1 project offshore Taiwan got underway this summer, and it is expected to be the first of several such projects in Taiwanese waters

Interview 22 Building the world’s first farshore, gigawatt-scale offshore windfarm will be a challenge, but Dong Energy also sees it as an opportunity

Developer/utility profile 25 Vattenfall in Sweden has confirmed its intention to proceed with the EOWDC offshore windfarm off the Scottish coast

Floating offshore wind 26 Thirteen companies in the offshore wind, oil and gas, and maritime sectors have launched a joint industry project – Coupled Analysis of Floating Wind Turbines

Contractor profile 29 Recent weeks have highlighted the importance of accurate surveys of bird life in potential windfarm zones, but not all survey systems are equally effective, according to a German study

www.owjonline.com

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

contents Service operation vessels 33 BS Offshore’s new vessel is genuinely unique 34 Sometimes, the only way to secure a vessel that meets the requirements of the market in which you operate is to design and build one yourself

Cable lay vessels 35 Siem Offshore’s new cablelay vessel was designed to be able to lay cable in conditions that would thwart many other vessels

Cable protection 36 Trelleborg recently launched a new cable protection system, NjordGuard

Grid connection 39 Dutch transmission systems operator TenneT has proposed a ‘hub and spoke’ transmission centre on an artificial island in the North Sea

Offshore operations 40 Detecting and eliminating unexploded ordnance where windfarms are to be built and cables laid is expensive, but technology can help

Insurance 42 The author of a report on insurance claims relating to cables used in the offshore wind industry believes the way contracts are managed is to blame

Foundations 43 EDF Energy has set researchers the task of developing long-term solutions to corrosion in monopile foundations on offshore windfarms

Analysis 44 The potential of floating offshore wind is vast and it has many advantages, its proponents argue

Turbines & turbine technology 47 Siemens’ newly developed 8 megawatt turbine will provide an annual energy production 10 per cent greater than its predecessor; Vattenfall has placed an order for V164-8.0 MW turbines for Horns Rev 3

Turbine support vessels 48 Construction support vessel owner Acta Marine and a fleet of crew transfer vessels have pioneered new ways of working on the Gemini offshore windfarm 50 The National Workboat Association in the UK has followed up publication of its inaugural safety statistics with new ones for 2015 – statistics that show some encouraging trends

3rd Quarter 2016 volume 5 issue 3 Editor: David Foxwell t: +44 1252 717 898 e: david.foxwell@rivieramm.com Portfolio Manager - Media & Event Sales: Bill Cochrane t: +44 20 8370 1719 e: bill.cochrane@rivieramm.com Head of Sales - Asia: Kym Tan t: +65 9456 3165 e: kym.tan@rivieramm.com Sales, Australasia: Kaara Barbour t: +61 414 436 808 e: kaara.barbour@rivieramm.com Production Manager: Mark Lukmanji t: +44 20 8370 7019 e: mark.lukmanji@rivieramm.com Subscriptions: Sally Church t: +44 20 8370 7018 e: sally.church@rivieramm.com Chairman: John Labdon Managing Director: Steve Labdon Finance Director: Cathy Labdon Operations Director: Graham Harman Editorial Director: Steve Matthews Executive Editor: Paul Gunton Head of Production: Hamish Dickie Business Development Manager: Steve Edwards Published by: Riviera Maritime Media Ltd Mitre House 66 Abbey Road Enfield EN1 2QN UK

Profile

www.rivieramm.com

52 Dr David Toke, reader in energy politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations in the University of Aberdeen, gives his take on recent developments in the UK

Next issue Area reports: Scotland and China; new markets for offshore wind; foundations; turbine technology; finance; offshore access; noise control & environmental issues, training & recruitment; project focus

Front cover photo: The fast-growing UK offshore wind market is once again faced with uncertainty following the Brexit vote and the abolition of DECC

Subscribe from just £199

Subscribe now and receive four issues of Offshore Wind Journal every year and get even more: • access the latest issue content via your digital device • access to the www.owjonline.com and its searchable archive. Subscribe online: www.owjonline.com

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct, the Author and Publisher accept no liability to any party for any inaccuracies that may occur. Any third party material included with the publication is supplied in good faith and the Publisher accepts no liability in respect of content. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted or stored in any electronic medium or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner.

www.owjonline.com

OFFSHORE WIND

THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED SERVICE OPERATIONS VESSEL 9020

WE SHARE YOUR GOALS OF PERFORMANCE, EFFICIENCY A N D C O S T- E F F E C T I V E N E S S . W H E N I T C O M E S T O P R O V I D I N G I N N O VAT I V E S O L U T I O N S F O R A N I N N O VAT I V E I N D U S T R Y, W E â&#x20AC;&#x2122; R E A L L I N T H I S T O G E T H E R .

WWW.DAMEN.COM

WORLD LEADING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE FLEET

Based in Great Yarmouth, Seajacks UK has a proven track record of installing and maintaining offshore wind farms safely and cost effectively. Contact us now to discuss Seajacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; solutions for T&I and O&M. For further information please visit www.seajacks.com, alternatively call +44 (0) 1493 841 400 or email info@seajacks.com

seajacks.com

COMMENT | 5

Knowledge sharing can ease use of helicopters

H David Foxwell, Editor

“As greater use of helicopters is made in the offshore wind industry, so the likelihood of SAR access to offshore windfarms is likely to become an issue”

www.owjonline.com

elicopters are increasingly likely to be used in the offshore wind industry in the UK as windfarms are built further from shore. They are already being used on some projects, such as Greater Gabbard and Westermost Rough, and as the interview in this issue with Dong Energy’s programme manager for Hornsea Project One Duncan Clark highlights, helicopters could have a role on that project too, given its distance from the shore. Helicopter operations have been used for many years in the offshore oil and gas industry, but considerations around their use are less well understood in the renewables market, hence the need for guidance that has been produced recently by the Offshore Aviation Renewables Forum (ORAF). ORAF believes that the next two to three years could see a significant increase in helicopter operations as windfarms are built out further from shore and as helicopters are integrated into the operation of service operations vessels and/or flotels. This means that search and rescue (SAR) also becomes an issue that the industry will have to address, primarily through collaboration with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) in order to ensure that windfarmspecific SAR issues are identified early. Fortunately, ORAF and RenewableUK have been addressing the issue too, developing a guidance framework for consistent operational planning for aviation support services. They have interacted with their counterparts in the offshore oil and gas industry and are working to evolve offshore wind industry aviation operational requirements covering issues such as hoisting, winching, passenger transport, rapid response and variations in day/night operations. The overall aim of the work they have been doing is to reduce risk and establish a culture of transparency and knowledge sharing. As greater use of helicopters is made in the offshore wind industry, so the likelihood of SAR access to offshore windfarms is likely to become an issue. Factors such as the layout and location of windfarms, their size and orientation will become more important. As the agency responsible for SAR, pollution response, vessel traffic management, maritime safety, accident and disaster response and

maritime security, the MCA has an important role to play. It is already looking at issues and challenges such as the size of turbines and offshore windfarms. As highlighted above, they are being built further and further offshore, some are being built adjacent to one another and not all are necessarily of SAR-friendly layout. As turbines get bigger and bigger, so their size becomes an issue because of the increased probability of at least part of a turbine being in cloud. The effects of weather in and around turbines will need careful consideration. The increased number of windfarms and their geographic extent will lead to increased probability of traffic interaction and an increased probability of accidents. Should an accident occur, a peripheral search around a windfarm is likely to be ineffective. Search integrity could be compromised, and the speed at which a search can be carried out could be reduced, which could have a knock-on effect on crew workload and fatigue. A 100 nautical mile trip to the area around a windfarm could take four hours for a lifeboat or 45–60 minutes for a helicopter. Once at a windfarm, the layout and alignment of the turbines will have a significant effect on operations. Where two or more windfarms are adjacent to one another, there may be different operators, different emergency response co-operation plans, different orientations, different numbering systems and communications. The size and variety of turbines could also be different too. The MCA would like to see more SARfriendly windfarms with, ideally, a common orientation, turbines in straight rather than curved lines and lighting that is night vision goggle friendly. It says that the provision of VHF communications, geographically logical numbering, substations and met masts aligned with turbines and clear mapping with SAR lanes and gate waypoints are also desirable. The MCA also emphasises the need to work with developers on a case-by-case basis because windfarms differ from one another significantly in design. It would also like to ensure that it is engaged early in the consent process for offshore windfarms and that use is made of all of the relevant guidance material. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

6 | BEST OF THE WEB

BEST OF THE WEB Offshore Wind Journal’s website covers the latest technical, commercial, political and regulatory developments in the industry. Our news coverage is now exclusively online and free to read. Here are some of the most popular stories covered over the last few months

Vattenfall opts for V164-8.0 MW turbines for Horns Rev 3 Vattenfall has placed an order for 49 V164-8.0 MW turbines for the 406 megawatt (MW ) Horns Rev 3 project off the west coast of Denmark. The contract includes a five-year service contract to optimise power production. The V164-8.0 MW turbines – rated with a capacity of 8MW – will be optimised for the Horns Rev 3 project, utilising a power mode to enable them to deliver a maximum output of 8.3MW, further increasing the value for the customer. http://bit.ly/29PaCjn

Court ruling deals blow to potential Scottish projects Plans for up to 2.3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy projects planned for Scottish waters have been thrown into disarray by a court decision. In a recent ruling, the Court of Session in Edinburgh determined that the projects do not have valid planning permission. The projects affected by the decision include Inch Cape, Neart na Gaoithe and Seagreen Alpha and Bravo, which were approved in 2014. The case, brought by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scotland, argued that Scottish ministers should not have given consent to the projects because they represent a danger to birds. In a statement, RSPB Scotland said it had been “with great reluctance” in January 2015 that it took the last-resort decision to challenge Scottish ministers’ consents for the offshore windfarms in the outer firths of the Forth and Tay. Lindsay Roberts, senior policy manager for Scottish Renewables, said, “This is extremely disappointing. These important projects together would transform the scale of Scotland’s offshore wind industry. Given the very significant levels of investment, employment and clean electricity these projects would deliver, I am sure that the Scottish Government and the developers who are involved will now want to look at the judgment in detail and assess the ruling before deciding how best to proceed.” http://bit.ly/2a1RYEa

DECC abolished – Clark to head new all-embracing energy and industry department

V164-8.0 MW turbines with a special power mode, enabling them to deliver 8.3MW, have been selected for Horns Rev 3

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) in the UK has been abolished as part of new prime minister Theresa May’s wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle and replaced with a new ‘super department’ with Greg Clark MP at its head. Mr Clark becomes secretary of state

for business, energy and industrial strategy. In a statement, Mr Clark said, “I am thrilled to have been appointed to lead this new department charged with delivering a comprehensive industrial strategy, leading government’s relationship with business, furthering our world-class science base, delivering affordable, clean energy and tackling climate change.” Responding to the creation of the new department, RenewableUK’s chief executive Hugh McNeal said, “We are looking forward to working supportively with Mr Clark in his new role, as we represent industries that can attract inward investment in the UK, and onshore wind offers the cheapest source of new power for Britain. The renewable energy industry has faced some tough challenges over the past year, but now we have clarity on the make-up of the new administration, we can move forward.” http://bit.ly/29HFMKh

Offshore wind developers join forces to further cut cost of energy The Carbon Trust has revealed details of a new phase of its collaborative research, development and demonstration programme, the Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA). The programme is designed to impact the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) from offshore wind by reducing costs and improving efficiency and availability of existing and future offshore windfarms. Nine of the largest offshore wind developers in Europe, including Dong Energy, EnBW, E.ON, Iberdrola, RWE, SSE, Statkraft, Statoil and Vattenfall, have signed up to the programme. Over the next four years, the developers will collectively invest at least £6.4 million (US$8.3 million), boosted by a further £1.5 million from the Scottish Government, to bring innovations to market that will help to ensure that the typical cost of offshore wind is below £100 per megawatt hour (MWh) by 2020. http://bit.ly/29Bdnnz

www.owjonline.com

BEST OF THE WEB | 7

owjonline.com

UK tower factory already has agreements with Vattenfall and Siemens Work on the UK’s first offshore wind tower production facility was due to get underway in Argyll in Scotland on 7 July with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Scotland’s energy minister. CS Wind UK’s base in Campbeltown, which employs 175 people, is set for a £27 million (US$35 million) investment after its acquisition by South Korean manufacturer CS Wind Corporation in April 2016. It is expected that the investment will create 160 new jobs at the factory. On 6 July 2016, Vattenfall announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CS Wind UK to work together on a number of onshore and offshore wind projects. CS Wind was also due to sign an MOU with Siemens to produce up to 200 offshore towers between 2017 and 2019. http://bit.ly/29kGh8f

Jan De Nul secures Borkum Riffgrund deal Jan De Nul Group has signed a contract with Dong Energy to transport and install 36 monopiles and transition pieces for the Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore windfarm. The group has also been awarded a contract for the supply, transport and installation of scour protection for all of the foundations once they have been installed. http://bit.ly/29D1Sby

Dong Energy wins Dutch tender The Netherlands’ minister of economic affairs has awarded Dong Energy the concession to build the Borssele I and II offshore windfarms. Dong Energy won the

www.owjonline.com

concessions with an average bid strike price, excluding transmission costs, of €72.70 per MWh during the first 15 years of the contract. After that, the windfarms will receive the market price. Samuel Leupold, Dong Energy’s executive vice president and head of wind power, said, “Winning this tender in a highly competitive field of bidders is another proof of our market-leading position and our business model, which builds on continued innovation, industrialisation and scale. With Borssele I and II, we are crossing the €100 per MWh mark for the first time and are reaching a critical industry milestone more than three years ahead of time. This demonstrates the great potential of offshore wind.” Dong Energy will build Borssele I and II over the next four years.

Scots start process to devolve role of The Crown Estate

The former Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) in the UK is planning to modify the rules for the contracts for difference (CFDs) in order to enable projects to be delivered beyond the current cut-off date in 2020 and has issued consultation proposals to extend delivery years for CFD projects to 31 March 2026. The CFD scheme was introduced through the Energy Act 2013. CFDs provide long-term price stabilisation to incentivise investment in low carbon electricity generation. The first CFD allocation round was launched in October 2014 and successfully allocated 2.1 gigawatts of capacity, significantly driving down costs in respect of a number of technologies. The secretary of state has announced an intention to hold the next allocation round in late 2016 for ‘less established’ technologies (known as Pot 2).

The Scottish Government has started the process required to devolve powers currently held by The Crown Estate to Scotland. The Crown Estate owns nearly the entire seabed out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit, including the rights to explore and utilise natural resources on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). The Energy Act 2004 vested rights to The Crown Estate to license the generation of renewable energy – including offshore wind – on the UKCS within the renewable energy zone out to 200nm. A programme of work now getting underway in Scotland to secure devolved control of The Crown Estate in Scotland has launched an eight-week consultation seeking views on the interim management arrangements. Interim management arrangements are necessary to ensure a smooth transition and continuity to The Crown Estate staff, tenants and other customers. Views are now being sought on how that interim body should be managed. Later in 2016, the Scottish Government will seek views and engage stakeholders on how best to devolve and manage these assets for the benefit of all of Scotland in the long term. Cabinet secretary for environment, climate change and land reform Roseanna Cunningham said, “Control over the management and resources of The Crown Estate in Scotland should rest with the people of Scotland and today marks the formal start of the devolution of one of the key elements in the Scotland Act 2016. Establishing the interim body is only the beginning of the transfer journey for The Crown Estate in Scotland.” Scottish ministers propose to set up a new interim public body using powers provided in the Scotland Act 2016 to lay a statutory instrument (SSI) at the Scottish Parliament, which would be completed through an Order in Council. This will enable the transfer to be completed by the UK Government so Scotland can assume the powers in April 2017.

http://bit.ly/29l1S0W

http://bit.ly/29733Q1

http://bit.ly/2abRjzW

Timeline for CFDs extended

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

8 | NEWS FOCUS

SIEMENS’ BRAND-NEW BLADE FACILITY ABOUT TO COME ONLINE As this issue of OWJ was due to go to press, Siemens’ new manufacturing facility in the UK was about to be completed so that manufacturing could get underway

n the aftermath of the UK Brexit, decision much was written about the prospects for further investment by Siemens – and other turbine manufacturers – in manufacturing facilities in the UK. Siemens’ new facility at Hull in the UK – which will build blades for offshore wind turbines for the UK domestic market – is approaching completion. Further investment decisions, particularly those that could have seen the UK exporting components to other markets for offshore wind, seem likely to have to wait until Brexit arrangements between the UK and the EU are finalised, but in the meantime, work at the new factory is due to start as soon as September this year, as representatives of the company made clear at the Global Offshore Wind conference and exhibition in Manchester in June. Production of the first blades is scheduled for winter 2016, with the facility due to be formally opened in 2017. Siemens’ representatives also made clear that, in designing and building the facility, the company has taken further steps towards streamlining the manufacturing and logistics process compared to existing facilities, such as those in Denmark. Turbines manufactured at Siemens’ facility in Aalborg are currently transported to Esbjerg by road in order for a limited amount of pre-assembly to take place. In contrast, the new facility in the UK combines manufacturing, pre-assembly and loading onto turbine installation vessels at a single site. Statements by speakers at the conference suggest that not only will the facility in Hull be larger than an existing facility at Esbjerg in Denmark that the company uses for other projects, but that it will also be a more efficient facility than the Danish plant, with important synergies between assembly and manufacture and logistics. The same officials also highlighted once again the “thousands” of jobs that have been created at the facility and in the

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

supply chain and highlighted the growing UK content of turbines produced there and the significant effect that investment has had in the region as a whole. Addressing delegates at the conference, Ray Thompson, head of business development at Siemens Wind Power UK, said September 2016 would see the first blade produced at the new facility. Once fully operational, it will be capable of manufacturing 450 blades a year. An offshore service centre at the same facility is also due to be completed in September, and work on new quayside facilities is progressing well. At the pre-Brexit conference, Mr Thompson also told delegates that the new facility would, hopefully, export blades in due course. Mr Thompson told delegates at the conference that the new facility would “build turbine blades around the clock”. He noted that Siemens “wants to speed up activity offshore” and that the UK facility would enable it to bring more time-consuming assembly work onshore. Siemens is investing around £160 million in the Green Port Hull facility, part of a combined £310 million investment with Associated British Ports. It includes a project execution site at Alexandra Dock, a blade manufacturing facility also at Alexandra Dock and a logistics distribution centre. “These elements will raise the UK content of our turbines significantly,” said Mr Thompson. The Alexandra Dock is a 54-hectare site, with a new quay wall of 650m, which is sufficient for three turbine installation vessels. The west of the site is assigned to blade manufacture and offshore assembly and the east for offshore warehousing and a service logistics and distribution centre. The massive blade manufacturing factory has an area of 40,000m2 and is being built by contractor Volker Fitzpatrick. Piling commenced in July 2015, steel erection got started in November

www.owjonline.com

Local training facility opens Hull College Group opened its training facility to train Siemens’ wind turbine blade factory workforce in March and revealed plans for further investment to support the growth of key industries. Around £500,000 has been invested to convert a former construction skills facility on Hull’s Preston Road estate into one of only two centres in the UK that specialise in manufacturing skills using composite materials. The facilities include a blade school, which replicates, in miniature, the processes within the new blade factory. All 800 operational staff from the blade factory will undergo their first-stage training there over the next 14 months. The training centre is 3km from the Siemens factory site at Alexandra Dock where turbine blades will be manufactured using a composite of balsa wood, glass fibre and resin. The new training centre is a ‘sister facility’ to one at Siemens’ Danish operation. All 800 operational staff hired to work in the blade factory will undergo five weeks of training at the Hull College facility, the first recruits having started training in Hull in March.

Blade manufacturing will get underway at Green Port Hull later this year

2015 and completion is due in September this year, ready for manufacturing of blades to get underway. The offshore warehouse and service centre is a 12,330m2 building and is being built by contractor Clugstons. Construction started in November 2015, and it is also due to be completed in September 2016. Construction of the new facilities has also seen numerous other contracts awarded, including a £1 million contract for training that was awarded to Hull College Group. Other important contracts include a £43 million award to ALE for deployment of cranes, specialised transport equipment and personnel; a £3.3 million deal with Street Cranes for overhead cranes; and a £650,000 contract awarded to Turner Timber Frames for timber walkways. Paul Savvides, UK head of procurement at Siemens Wind Power, explained that Hull is ideally located for access to all of the remaining Round 3 UK zones, and Siemens has a strong UK pipeline of offshore projects, including Dudgeon, Race Bank, Galloper, Hywind, Hornsea, Beatrice, Walney Extension (East) and East Anglia 1, but as he also noted, Hull forms part of an integrated European manufacturing and pre-assembly footprint that also includes facilities in Esbjerg and Cuxhaven in Germany. “With the Hull facilities, we will be closer to the world’s largest offshore market, closer to our customers and closer to the projects,” he said. “This will help keep us competitive.” Recent weeks have also seen Siemens launch the latest phase of recruitment for its new wind turbine blade factory in Hull, with the company advertising 100 jobs that will take the numbers hired to over 500. The newly advertised positions include group leads, seven team leads, quality controllers and a total of 86 operatives in the warehouse, maintenance, packing, coating, assembly and finishing departments. It was the second-largest number of jobs

www.owjonline.com

advertised at one time by Siemens in Hull, and the positions are the first to be made available that will see new recruits hired after the Hull blade factory at Alexandra Dock opens in September. As the factory will then be operational, these are also the first roles that will not require recruits to travel to Siemens’ sister blade factory in Aalborg, Denmark, for training. From September, all training will take place at a combination of the Hull College Group’s composites training centre on Hull’s Preston Road estate, at a warehouse at Alexandra Dock that has been converted into a training facility and the factory itself. At the time of writing, Siemens had received 16,500 applications for jobs in Hull, from around 6,000 individual candidates. Just over 450 jobs have been filled or have people due to join the company, meaning the latest phase of recruitment will take Siemens over halfway to its target of employing 1,000 people across the Alexandra Dock site in manufacturing, engineering, logistics and service roles. As it has stressed previously, it is committed to diversity in the workplace and wants to ensure that women make up a substantial part of its workforce, as they do in similar Siemens manufacturing operations elsewhere in the world. The first offshore wind power plant to benefit from the newly constructed facilities at Alexandra Dock will be the Dudgeon project off the Norfolk coast. Dudgeon is owned by Norwegian energy companies Statoil and Statkraft and Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company Masdar. It will be operated by Statoil. It will comprise 67 of Siemens’ 6 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbines. Soon after the Dudgeon project, the Race Bank offshore windfarm will mobilise and will involve pre-assembly and supply of some of the first blades manufactured at the Hull factory. Race Bank is owned by Dong Energy and will comprise 91 of Siemens’ 6MW turbines. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

10 | NEWS FOCUS

Siemens deal with Gamesa leaves fate of Adwen to be decided

n June, Siemens and Gamesa signed binding agreements to merge Siemens’ wind power business, including wind services, with Gamesa in Spain. Siemens will receive newly issued shares of the combined company and will hold 59 per cent of the share capital while Gamesa’s existing shareholders will hold 41 per cent. As part of the merger, Siemens will fund a cash payment of €3.75 per share, which will be distributed to Gamesa’s shareholders (excluding Siemens) immediately following the completion of the merger (net of any ordinary dividends paid until completion of the merger). The cash payment represents 26 per cent of Gamesa’s share price at market close on 28 January 2016. The size of the combined Siemens-Gamesa venture is such that it will overtake Denmark’s Vestas to become the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer by market share. In a statement, Gamesa and Siemens said the businesses are “highly complementary with regard to markets, products and technology and will create great value to customers and shareholders”. Annual EBIT synergies of around €230 million are expected to result from the deal. The combined company will have its legal domicile and global headquarters in Spain and will remain listed in Spain. Headquarters for the onshore division will be in Spain and for the offshore division will be in Germany and Denmark. Gamesa and Areva have entered into contractual agreements whereby Areva will waive existing contractual restrictions in Gamesa’s and Areva’s offshore wind joint venture, Adwen, simplifying the merger between Gamesa and Siemens. As part of these agreements, Gamesa will grant Areva a put option for Areva’s 50 per cent stake and a call option for Gamesa’s 50 per cent stake in Adwen. Both options expire in three months. Alternatively, Areva can

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

GE and Senvion are said to be interested in acquiring Adwen, the joint venture between Gamesa and Areva, following the much anticipated announcement that Siemens and Gamesa are to merge their wind power businesses

in this time divest 100 per cent of Adwen to a third party via a drag-along right for Gamesa’s stake. The new company, which will be consolidated in Siemens’ financial statements, is expected to have on a pro forma basis (last 12 months as of March 2016) a 69 gigawatt installed base worldwide, an order backlog of around €20 billion, revenue of €9.3 billion and an adjusted EBIT of €839 million. “The merger with Siemens constitutes recognition for the work performed by the company in recent years and evidences our commitment to generating value in the long term by creating significant synergies and extending the horizon of our profitable growth. Today, we are embarking on a new era, creating, alongside Siemens, a worldleading wind player. We will continue to work as before, albeit as part of a stronger company and with an enhanced ability to offer all of our customers end-to-end solutions,” said Ignacio Martín, executive chairman and chief executive of Gamesa. “The combination of our wind business with Gamesa follows a clear and compelling industrial logic in an attractive growth industry, in which scale is a key to making renewable energy more cost-effective. With this business combination, we can provide even greater opportunities to the customers and value to the shareholders of

Joe Kaeser: “the combined business underlines our commitment to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy”

the new company. The combined business will fit right into our Siemens Vision 2020 and underlines our commitment to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy supply,” said Joe Kaeser, president and chief executive of Siemens. The envisaged combination is unanimously supported by Gamesa’s board of directors and Siemens’ supervisory board. Iberdrola has entered into a shareholders’ agreement with Siemens and will hold around 8 per cent in the combined company after closing of the transaction. The transaction is subject to approval by Gamesa’s shareholders and to other customary conditions such as merger control clearances and the confirmation by the Spanish stock market regulator that no mandatory takeover bid has to be launched by Siemens following completion of the merger. When the deal was signed, Areva and Gamesa confirmed that they had signed an amendment to the shareholders’ agreement for Adwen, the joint venture dedicated to offshore wind that is equally owned by the two groups. According to the terms of the amended agreement, Areva has three months to exercise one of the following options. It can either sell its share in Adwen to Gamesa or sell 100 per cent of Adwen’s shares to a thirdparty investor if that party submits a more attractive binding offer during this period. The sale of the entire capital is made possible by Areva’s drag-along right on Gamesa’s stake. At the end of the threemonth period, Areva will disclose the option selected for the divestiture of its shares in Adwen. The commitments made by Adwen as part of the tender process for the offshore windfarms in France will remain borne by Adwen. Recently, press reports have suggested that Senvion in Germany is interested in acquiring Adwen and is preparing a bid. It is also suggested that GE is considering a bid. OWJ

www.owjonline.com

rolls-royce.com

Award Winning Design:

Fully optimised for the mission and the environment Our ship design and integrated system solutions are results of targeted research and development over many years. Our designs and solutions meet the challenging combination of high performance and flexibility, reduced fuel consumption and optimised life-cycle costs. Our wide range of system solutions includes systems for deck machinery, safer deck operations, propulsion and manoeuvring, stabilisation, dynamic positioning and automation and control.

Trusted to deliver excellence

The Offshore Renewables Award was won by Ă&#x2DC;stensjĂ¸ Rederi for its SOV for Dong Energy at The Offshore Support Journal Conference 2016.

Reliable partner for eﬃcient renewable energy solutions

Innovative vessels

Advanced equipment

Life-cycle support

Royal IHC (IHC) is renowned as a reliable and efficient supplier of custom-built solutions for the renewable energy market. It uses the in-depth knowledge and vast experience it has gained from the oil and gas industry to develop new and sustainable technologies for offshore wind and tidal energy companies. IHC supplies a wide range of innovative vessels and advanced equipment, which are designed specifically for the challenges of transporting, installing and maintaining offshore wind farms. This unrivalled level of expertise covers: consultancy and design; the engineering and fabrication of equipment; handling and installation tools; the construction and modification of vessels; and all aspects of life-cycle support.

Royal IHC - Oﬀshore oﬀshore@royalihc.com www.royalihc.com

GERMANY | 13

Reform sticks with 15GW target but progress will be erratic

ong-standing problems with grid connection that have hindered the ability to transmit power generated in the north of Germany to the power-hungry south and concerns about the cost of the ongoing transition to a greener energy economy once again came to the fore as the reforms to Germany’s energy transition were debated. The good news is that the commitment to 15 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind in the next 15 years remains. The not so good news is that, rather than commit to a steady buildout of offshore wind capacity each year – which would aid industry and provide clarity for developers and investors alike – the level of capacity will vary from year to year. In some years, the new plan also envisages restricting where new capacity is built, not just how much, with offshore windfarms in the Baltic favoured in some years because of grid connection issues that make connecting windfarms in the North Sea more of a challenge. Germany’s federal minister for economic affairs and energy, Sigmar Gabriel, unveiled the fine detail of the reforms late last week. He said decisions taken by the Bundestag and Bundesrat had “created all essential conditions” for the next phase of Germany’s energy revolution. He described the changes as the biggest reform of the electricity market in the country since market

www.owjonline.com

The German Parliament’s approval for a plan to reform the country’s renewable energy law or ‘EEG’ by ending feed-in tariffs in favour of competitive auctions and limiting the rate at which wind energy projects are built out has rightly been described as a mixed bag

Germany built out a lot of offshore wind capacity in 2015, but progress will be more erratic in future

liberalisation in the 1990s and said the changes had created a clear regulatory framework for the future. The minister said the reform of ‘energiewende’ or energy transition would make renewable energy “fit for the current market”, but not everyone is quite as sure about the reforms as Mr Gabriel. Renewables’ share of the electricity produced in Germany will continue to increase – from 33 per cent today to 45 per cent by 2025 –

but wind energy projects will not be developed as quickly as its proponents had hoped. The reform means that auctions for onshore wind will be capped at a level of 2.8GW per annum, and the level of tenders for offshore wind will fluctuate from year to year over the next decade. The limit for onshore wind is expected to increase after 2020 to 2.9GW a year. The offshore cap, which will apply from 2021–2030, will vary from year to year to ensure

that Germany reaches its 15GW wind energy target in the next 15 years. The reforms are expected to come into effect in January 2017. Responding to the plan, WindEurope said the reforms at least set out clear volumes for wind energy deployment towards 2020 and beyond and would give the industry a degree of certainty on investments and the opportunity to plan into the future, but the same cannot be said for offshore, where there is a lack of stability in the volumes. As highlighted above, the build-out rate after 2020 will be uneven as the auctions vary in size from year to year. What is more, the volumes arrived at in the reform process are less ambitious than other EU states – including the UK, which has its own problems now that Brexit is happening and has committed to 1GW a year to 2030 – and The Netherlands, which will tender 1.4GW this year and then a further 700MW each year to 2020. WindEurope noted that the shift from feedin tariffs to tenders is a trend that is happening across Europe, and Germany’s move was to be expected as EU member states bring their support schemes into line with the European Commission’s state aid guidelines. The German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), an umbrella organisation for German renewable energy associations, said the reform package amounted to “a clear setback” for renewable energy as a whole. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

14 | THE NETHERLANDS

Dutch tender puts offshore wind on a par with conventional power generation The Borssele I and II windfarms have set a new benchmark for the levelised cost of energy from offshore wind – not just in The Netherlands but in Europe as a whole

he award to Dong Energy of the concession to build the Borssele I and II offshore windfarms off the Dutch coast is a major milestone for the offshore wind energy industry as a whole, the deal having been agreed at a price of €87/MWh including the cost of grid connection (€72.2/MWh excluding transmission costs), which is by some distance a record low price for offshore wind. The previous lowest was Horns Rev 3 in Denmark in 2013, where the price was €103/MWh, excluding grid connection. Wind Europe chief executive Giles Dickson said, “It has been clear for some time that the costs of offshore wind are falling rapidly. This tender goes beyond even the most optimistic expectations in the market. €87/ MWh is significantly lower than anything we have seen previously and puts offshore wind in the same cost range as conventional power generation. The wind

industry recently committed to making offshore wind costcompetitive by 2025. This tender suggests this is fully feasible – and we seem to be getting there well ahead of schedule.” The record low price means that the cost of building and operating Borssele I and II is expected to be €2.7 billion less expensive than previously estimated. Moreover, the 700 megawatt (MW) windfarm will generate 22.5 per cent more electricity than anticipated. The lower than anticipated price follows fierce competition between companies responding to the public tender to secure the permit for the concession and subsidy to build and operate the windfarm. Overall, there were 38 bids. Borssele I and II are due to be completed by mid-2020. Dutch minister of economic affairs Henk Kamp said, “It has never happened before that an offshore windfarm can be built at such a low cost. The Dutch system in which companies have

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

to compete with each other while the government regulates all conditions for building the windfarm has proved to be very successful. This reduction of cost represents a major breakthrough in the transition to more sustainable energy. “[With] offshore windfarms, we are building a new economic sector,” said the minister. “Development of offshore windfarms has already created around 4,000 jobs in The Netherlands in manufacturing, construction and research. This is expected to grow to 10,000 jobs by 2020.” He noted that a greater part of the construction of the new windfarms is expected to be conducted from Port of Vlissingen. Under the Dutch system, interested parties were asked to bid with a maximum price cap set at €0.124 per kilowatt hour. As highlighted above, Dong Energy submitted the lowest bid with an average of €0.0727 per kilowatt hour. This is €0.051 less than the originally

estimated level, resulting in a cost reduction of €2.3 billion over the 15-year period that the subsidy will be provided. It is expected that a tender for the next round of windfarm projects in The Netherlands, Borssele III and IV, will close in the last week of September 2016, after which, from 2017 onwards, more new windfarms are expected to be developed off the Dutch coast. On 8 July the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands published a ministerial regulation providing details for the tender for the Borssele III and IV offshore windfarms. Publication followed shortly after the recent announcement that Dong Energy had won the tender for Borssele I and II at an unexpectedly low price of just 7.27 euro cents.. Law firm Loyens & Loeff said the new regulation is similar to the first Borssele tender. The tender for Borssele III and IV will open on 15 September 2016 and will close two weeks later on 29 September 2016. The minimum nominal capacity of the installation is 331 megawatts (MW) for Site III and 351MW for Site IV. The maximum is 360MW for Site III and 380MW for Site IV. The maximum subsidy amounts are €2.4 billion for Site III and €2.6 billion for Site IV. Loyens & Loeff said the maximum tender amount is €11.975/kWh but given the outcome of the first Borssele tender, this figure is unlikely to be relevant any longer. As it pointed out, the question is more likely to be, by how much the tenders for III and IV differ from the winning bid for the first tender? OWJ

www.owjonline.com

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BUILD YOUR FUTURE SHIP TOGETHER

DESIGN & ENGINEERING | BUILDING KITS | TURN-KEY VESSELS | MARINE EQUIPMENT WWW.CIG-EU.COM

US | 17

Late July saw the first towers for the Block Island offshore windfarm erected by Fred Olsen Windcarrier's vessel Brave Tern

First offshore wind turbines shipped to US June and July saw further important developments in the nascent US offshore wind market, with nacelles for the first project being shipped and more states expressing an interest in renewable energy

n mid-July, the turbine installation vessel Brave Tern completed loading five examples of the nacelles for GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade 150-6MW wind turbines and departed for the US east coast and Block Island windfarm. Earlier this Northern Hemisphere summer, the towers and blades for the turbines for Block Island were delivered to the Port of Providence in the US. Block Island developer Deepwater Wind said it planned to start turbine installation later in August, with commissioning of the US’s first offshore windfarm expected in late 2016. The nacelles for the turbines were produced at the company’s facility in Saint-Nazaire, France. “This marks a milestone for the company, and we are proud to contribute to the Block Island project, the first offshore windfarm in the US,” said Jérôme Pécresse, chairman and CEO of GE Renewable Energy. “This demonstrates our readiness to respond to not only the French but also expanding international demand.” Earlier this summer, National Grid in the US completed installation of the ‘sea2shore’ cable landing for the cable that will bring electricity from the Block Island offshore windfarm to the US mainland. The 20-mile (32km) undersea cable runs between Rhode Island and Block Island. The cable will bring power from Deepwater Wind’s five-turbine Block Island windfarm, which is being built just off Block Island, to the mainland power grid. In another important development, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) confirmed plans to approve a 90-megawatt (MW) offshore windfarm off the coast of New York and that Deepwater Wind LLC has been selected to install the project. Formal approval was originally expected when the utility’s board met on 20 July 2016. A spokesperson for LIPA described the Deepwater One – South Fork project as “the first step to developing the tremendous offshore wind resource off Long Island”.

www.owjonline.com

Spokesperson Side Nathan said the offshore windfarm “would be Long Island’s contribution to meeting governor Cuomo’s ambitious plan to reach 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030”. The plan to build the offshore windfarm was first reported by the Associated Press, citing an interview with LIPA chief executive officer Thomas Falcone. Bloomberg reported that an agreement on pricing may be reached early next year and the windfarm could be completed as early as 2022. More recently, it has been reported that LIPA has delayed a vote on whether to offer the 15-turbine project a route to market, pending a new state-wide offshore wind plan. The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) requested LIPA to postpone a meeting of its board of trustees that was due to consider Deepwater Wind’s proposed offshore windfarm. LIPA said NYSERDA wants to align the proposed Long Island project with the state’s offshore wind masterplan and a clean energy standard – both of which are scheduled to be released in the next several weeks. In June 2016, US secretary of the interior Sally Jewell announced the first step to developing offshore wind in Hawaiian waters and has issued a call for information and nominations to gauge the wind industry’s interest in commercial wind leases in two areas offshore Oahu. “Today’s announcement marks another milestone in the president’s plan to support clean, renewable energy from the nation’s vast wind and solar resources,” said secretary Jewell. “Hawaii has important offshore wind energy potential, and we will continue our work with stakeholders across the spectrum to create a path forward for sustainable offshore energy development in the right places with the lowest conflicts across the Aloha State.” In consultation with the Hawaii Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a call for information and nominations to gauge the offshore wind industry’s interest in acquiring commercial wind leases in two areas spanning approximately 485,000 acres (1,960 km2) of submerged lands in federal waters offshore Oahu. The call also solicits public comment on site conditions, resources and other uses in and near those areas, while also supporting the Aloha State’s ambitious goal of reaching 100 per cent clean energy generation by 2045. June also saw BOEM initiate planning with the State of California to establish an Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force to examine opportunities for offshore renewable energy development. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

18 | SOUTH KOREA

South Korea would seem to be ideally placed to take advantage of offshore wind energy, having several well known turbine manufacturers and a highly developed marine/shipbuilding sector

Offshore wind boosted by significant investment in renewables The offshore wind industry in South Korea has struggled to get off the ground but received a significant boost in July 2016 when the government there announced that it planned to invest 42 trillion won (US$36 billion) on construction of renewable energy projects

aced with a choice between coal-fired power generation and investment in green energy, the South Korean Government has opted for the latter and has upped targets for renewable energy-based power generation. The government said it would like to see new renewable power plants equivalent in capacity to six coalfired power stations developed by power companies. A number of renewable energy projects are being planned, including new offshore windfarms in a number of areas, including Taean, Jeju and Gori. As of the end of 2014, South Korea had cumulative windgenerating capacity of around 608.5 megawatts (MW), up 8.5 per cent from 561MW in 2013, although this is almost exclusively land-based capacity. A plan for construction of 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity off the west coast of the country was first announced in 2010. South Korea would seem to be ideally placed to take advantage of growth in the global offshore wind energy industry, having a highly developed technical base, several well known turbine manufacturers and a highly developed marine/shipbuildng sector, which could become involved in installation and maintenance and, in the longer term, in floating offshore wind. To date, for land-based windfarms, the government has concentrated on local production of

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

components in order to secure the supply chain for wind projects. However, South Korea’s geographical conditions are not especially suitable for wind power generation on land, due to the country’s relatively small landmass and limited wind in many regions. These unfavourable conditions have served as a trigger for South Korea’s wind power industry to search for markets overseas. A number of well known turbine manufacturers have exhibited at offshore wind events in Europe in recent years but have found contracts hard to come by. Companies such as Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Doosan Heavy Industries and Hyosung Heavy Industries have all sought greater involvement in the industry but have been faced with a number of difficulties securing wind projects at home and abroad. They have also faced stiff competition from European manufacturers such as MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and Siemens, along with GE and several Chinese companies. According to the roadmap unveiled in 2010, a total of 2.5GW of offshore wind capacity was to be built out in the southwest sea in three stages over nine years, beginning in 2011. The plan anticipated that, in the first four years, 60MW of windfarm capacity would be installed to demonstrate the performance of Doosan Heavy

www.owjonline.com

SOUTH KOREA | 19

Industries’ 3MW wind turbines. After that, a further 400MW of offshore wind capacity was to be installed in order to help the industry acquire operational experience. The final stage, 2GW of windfarm capacity, will be constructed using turbines of 5MW or more, although given recent growth in turbine capacity, that would now seem outdated. Apart from large-scale commercial projects, South Korea also has offshore turbines installed in Jeju, which were developed by the Korea Institute of Energy Research. This particular project consists of a 2MW STX direct drive turbine installed in 2011 and a 3MW Doosan turbine installed in July 2012. In April 2015, the above-mentioned plan was modified and with a new timeline that foresees 80MW of capacity operational by 2018. Most of the projects under the 2.5GW will use the privatepublic partnership (PPP) model, in which the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) will be a leading developer, together with Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. It is worth mentioning that Jeju also has an ambitious plan to be a carbon-free island by 2030 and to have several offshore windfarms with total capacity of 2GW. A 30MW offshore demonstrator, the Tamra offshore windfarm, is under construction and is being developed by Posco and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. Other recent developments have seen the installation of jacket foundations at the 30MW Tamra offshore windfarm off the coast of South Korea nearing completion. Contractor Daeshin Wind Power is responsible for the installation work for the project, which will make use of Doosan 3MW turbines. Once completed, it will be South Korea’s first offshore windfarm. It is due to be commissioned in 2017. Given recent pronouncements in South Korea and the renewed commitment to offshore wind, a number of European consultancies are taking a very active interest in the country. In June 2016, South Korean state-owned enterprise Korea Offshore Wind Power (KOWP) signed a memorandum of understanding with Wind Minds in The Netherlands regarding co-operation in developing an ambitious new project in South Korea. The Southwest Offshore Wind Project will be developed by KOWP. The aim is to develop a 60MW test phase, with 400 MW realised by 2022. The long-term goal is to build out 2,500MW of offshore wind capacity in the Yellow Sea to the southwest of Seoul. In June 2016, K2 Management was awarded a contract by KOWP for the same project, which is located 11km off the west coast of South Korea in the Yellow Sea. K2 Management’s wind analysis team will conduct an independent energy yield assessment for the first round of the project (the initial 60MW ) to provide KOWP with the necessary data about the estimated energy production. K2 Management will also review the production estimate and the

assumptions applied by the lender’s technical advisor. Earlier this year, Wind Minds formed Wind Minds Korea, a joint venture between Wind Minds BV in The Netherlands, DoArm Engineering Co Ltd and Haechun Corporation, which will serve clients as an engineering and consulting company. The company aims to provide full-scale consulting and engineering services through all stages of offshore and onshore wind projects in Korea and overseas markets. Late 2015 also saw Wind Minds enter into another joint venture, also with DoArm Engineering and Haechun, to develop two nearshore windfarms close to Jeju Island. This particular JV aims to develop two projects, the Sin Chang and GwiDeok windfarms, both situated approximately 1km off the northwest coast of Jeju Island. Both projects consist of a first phase of 20 wind turbines, resulting in two 100MW windfarms. RES in the UK recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Dohwa Engineering Co Ltd of South Korea. The agreement, signed earlier in June, outlines the principal arrangements for future co-operation between the two businesses, including upcoming large-scale South Korean offshore wind projects. Blue Wind Engineering Co Ltd, RES’s representative in South Korea, will support RES and Dohwa. The partnership will see RES providing offshore marine project management expertise along with specific package management support. In return, Dohwa will employ RES as its supplier of choice for offshore consultancy. The new partnership will see Dohwa Engineering benefiting from RES’s offshore wind knowledge from working on projects in Europe and the US and RES benefiting from Dohwa Engineering’s local consultancy expertise. RES Offshore’s business development manager Asia, Kevin Todd, said, “By working with Dohwa, we believe the RES contribution will significantly strengthen Dohwa’s EPC offer to the South Korean offshore wind market. “RES sees the Far East as the fastest-growing new sector in offshore wind and is keen to share our experience of working in offshore wind projects with the new sector. Finding local partners is important to facilitate our expansion in the region. Dohwa are a large successful business wishing to also move into offshore wind. Korea and other major Far East countries see the importance of investing in the offshore wind industry to diversify their energy mix and meet CO₂ targets.” SunRae Kim, vice president, Dohwa Engineering Co and chief of the company’s power plant division, said the company was confident that co-operation with RES would “lead to great opportunities” for the business and provide a “concrete opportunity to acquire an upcoming large-scale offshore windfarm, which would be the first of its type in South Korea”. OWJ

After a period of uncertainty, offshore wind projects are being planned again

www.owjonline.com

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

20 | TAIWAN

With Formosa 1 already being built, a strategic environmental assessment will form a baseline for future offshore wind projects in Taiwan

Taiwanese market transitioning from planning to reality Foundation and turbine installation work for the Formosa 1 project offshore Taiwan got underway this summer, and it is expected to be the first of several such projects in Taiwanese waters

arlier this year, industry analyst Douglas-Westwood noted that a growing number of offshore wind projects outside Europe “boded well for a larger global market in the years to come”. It noted that, in the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea (see elsewhere in this issue) was expected to commission its first offshore wind project and that in Taiwan construction was about to begin of the first offshore windfarms. Now, it seems the market for offshore wind energy in Taiwan really is in transition from a promising potential market into reality, with the country’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) approving a strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind development. The government in Taiwan has pledged to increase the ratio of renewable power generation to conventional power to 20 per cent of total electricity generation by 2025, and wind power is expected to make up about 40 per cent of renewable energy production. The strategic environmental assessment will be used as the basis against which to review individual projects. Its aim is to establish a basis for commercialscale offshore windfarms at a total of 36 potential sites, most of which are off the coast of central Taiwan. The potential of the Taiwanese market is such that leading developers such as Dong Energy have established a presence in Taiwan in order to

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

explore offshore wind opportunities there and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. Recent months have seen a number of important developments in the country’s nascent offshore wind energy industry, with Taiwanese energy company Taipower selecting Niras and Sinotech as client advisers for a 100 megawatt (MW ) offshore windfarm. The project is Niras’s seventh in Taiwan (the others being landbased projects). Taipower has signed a contract with Niras and Sinotech, its local adviser, for client advice for the Changhua offshore windfarm, with construction due to begin in 2018. Niras said the scope of the new project is broad and includes basic design, tendering, review of detailed design and supervision of the construction phase, in addition to general technical advice, training and capacity building including health, safety and environmental issues. Niras has also hired its first local employee, C Y Lu, a former vice president of the Taiwanese consultancy company SOIC. The company said Taiwan faces a number of challenges developing its fastemerging offshore wind industry. Among these are a lack of a suitable hub harbour and a lack of manufacturing experience and required facilities to support the country’s offshore wind ambitions. Cowi in Denmark recently secured a contract to design the foundations for

Taiwan’s first offshore windfarm, Formosa 1, which it said would be in a “seismically active region” implying further demands on the design process. Cowi has been tasked with preparing the detailed design of the wind turbine foundations. “Naturally, the risk of earthquake and typhoons places further demands on the durability of the foundations,” said Martin Møller, Cowi’s project manager for the Taiwanese project. “There is an obvious need for thorough geotechnical, structural and hydraulic analyses of the ground conditions to determine the optimal foundation design.” Cowi has already completed the detailed design of two of the 32 foundations for the Taiwanese offshore windfarm. These will serve as prototypes for the remaining 30. Formosa 1 is a 130MW windfarm. It will be built 3-6km off the west coast of Taiwan, covering an area of 11 km². Construction work will be carried out by Formosa I Wind Power Co Ltd, with Cowi acting as consultant to Sinotech Engineering Consultants. It is scheduled for completion in 2019. Turbine installation vessel specialist A2SEA was due to begin installing the first two foundations for Formosa 1 in June 2016, having signed a contract for the installation campaign in September 2015. The deal will see A2SEA install two foundations and two Siemens 4MW turbines, a project that will be assigned to the installation unit Torben. OWJ

www.owjonline.com

#3 Improved platform access height

#1 Increased total bed capacity to 70 #4 Better Ampelmann performance due to second retractable azimuth thruster

#2 Doubled deck capacity

DP GEZINA AND DP GALYNA NOW EVEN BETTER Fully equipped for 24/7 offshore operations Check for availability now www.cfbv.com | info@cfbv.com | +31 342 44 14 04

LIFTING AND HANDLING SOLUTIONS FOR THE WIND INDUSTRY VISIT US: WINDENERGY HAMBURG, B7.525

PLATFORM, NACELLE AND SUBSTATION CRANES BLADE ACCESS SOLUTIONS MARINE AND OFFSHORE CRANES DAVIT SYSTEMS AND BOATS WINCHES AND OFFSHORE EQUIPMENT

WWW.PALFINGERMARINE.COM

22 | INTERVIEW

Dong drives innovation further on gigawatt-scale windfarm Building the world’s first farshore, gigawatt-scale offshore windfarm will be a challenge, but Dong Energy also sees it as an opportunity to continue innovating approaches to construction that can drive down the cost of wind energy

Duncan Clark: “we are learning all the time, reducing cycle times, taking what we have learnt into the next project”

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

uilding a far-shore 1.2 gigawatt (GW) offshore windfarm is a financial and a technical challenge for any developer. Dong Energy has already previewed some of the innovative approaches it is taking on Hornsea Project One – including the use of high voltage AC (HVAC) export cables rather than HVDC and the world’s first reactive compensation station (RCS), which will be a vital part of the transmission system for the project, enabling the high voltage AC system to work with cable lengths longer than those previously used for offshore wind – but as programme director Duncan Clark told OWJ, that is far from being the extent of innovation on the massive windfarm. “Hornsea Project One is very important to Dong Energy,” he told OWJ. “We have four projects underway in the UK at the moment, all in different stages of development, but it is fair to say that Hornsea One will be especially important to us in terms of moving up the learning curve in this industry, given its size and its location.” Given Dong Energy’s role in the market, if it is important to Dong Energy, of course, it is also important to the UK offshore wind industry as a whole and its process of continuous evolution towards lower costs. “We are talking about a project with 174 turbines, four substations and getting on for 1,000km of cabling. Cycle times for repetitive operations such as foundation and turbine installation will have a major bearing on the success or otherwise of the project and on costs. It’s important to remember too that, in the UK market, unlike some others, the cost risk arising from project overruns falls on the developer rather than on the end user. We need to ensure that we have selected the right approaches to key operations and clone those operations to ensure repeatability and reliability. We have done that to some extent already with projects such as London Array, but the size and scale of Hornsea One make it even more important.”

On a project of this size, suppliers are also incredibly important, and Dong Energy has split the work scope of a number of elements in the supply chain. Two installation contractors for the turbines have been appointed – Fred Olsen Windcarrier and A2SEA – and there will be two cable suppliers. Contracts for foundation installation and cable supply for Hornsea Project One have yet to be awarded, but Mr Clark anticipates that they should be let sometime in the next six months or so. A slew of other largescale contracts have so far been awarded for Hornsea Project One: DEME group company Tideway will install the export cables; Dragados Offshore will supply four substation jackets, with Bladt and Semco responsible for the substation topsides and ABS Group responsible for certification; Balfour Beatty is responsible for the onshore substation; Atkins will provide engineering design services for three substations; Fugro is responsible for the seabed survey; Babcock is to build the reactive compensation substation; and Siemens was selected to supply the 7MW turbines. Dong Energy awarded NKT a contract for the supply of 170km of export cables, and ABB got another export cable deal. As Mr Clark also explained, unlike on some other smaller projects, Dong Energy will be closely involved in what he describes as the ‘light logistics’ aspects of the project. “Being so far from shore, we need a different approach,” he said. “We are looking at using a couple of accommodation barges and a couple of service operation vessels (SOVs) rather than regular crew transfer vessels (CTVs). The distance is too great for regular use of CTVs, so we are looking at making greater use of helicopters and a combination of helicopters and CTVs, where appropriate. I think it is fair to say we will be making greater use of helicopters than has been the case on most projects so far. Some projects have used helicopters, but we expect to use them quite extensively,

www.owjonline.com

INTERVIEW | 23

moving people from the shore to the work site and moving them around once they are there.” The concept of operations that Dong Energy envisages would see a jack-up accommodation barge alongside a substation during the construction process. Once a substation was complete, the jack-up would move on to another part of the project. At the moment, the plan is to use two jack-up accommodation barges and two SOVs, one of which has already been contracted from Norwegian vessel owner Østensjø Rederi, which has actually been contracted by Dong Energy for two SOVs, the second of which will be assigned to the Race Bank project. The company’s decision to opt for HVAC rather than HVDC transmission is an interesting one and was driven in part by problems that have been experienced in recent years with HVDC projects in Germany. The HVAC transmission system will see a reactive compensation platform approximately halfway along the cable route to compensate for reactive losses in the export cable. There will be three strings, each of 400MW. “We were keen to avoid knock-on delays of the type that have affected all of the Germany HVDC projects,” Mr Clark told OWJ, noting that, at the time that the decision needed to be taken, with the delivery pathway that was required, there was just too much uncertainty around farshore HVDC, which would normally have been the solution of choice for a farshore project. Another Hornsea Project One innovation is the use of suction bucket jacket foundations. These will be used for around a third of the turbines on Hornsea Project One, the first example of a suction bucket jacket having only been installed as recently as late 2014, when Dong Energy sunk the first into the seabed as part of a test campaign on the Borkum Riffgrund 1 offshore windfarm in Germany. A suction bucket jacket consists of a three-legged jacket

Hornsea Project One was awarded a contract for difference in 2015 and passed the milestone delivery requirements stipulated by the Low Carbon Contracts Company earlier this year

structure with three ‘cup’ shape foundations that are anchored in the seabed using suction. The foundation is installed in a single lift, reducing construction time and associated costs. It is also a much quieter way to install a foundation, although Mr Clark said piling noise is not such an issue on Hornsea Project One as on some windfarms. The suction bucket jacket is a proven concept, having been used widely in the offshore oil and gas industry for about 20 years, but Hornsea One and Borkum Riffgrund 2 will be its first large-scale use in the offshore wind industry. Monopiles will be used elsewhere on the project. At the time of writing, onshore cable work for Hornsea Project One was due to start later in 2016 and continue throughout 2017, offshore cable and substation work will take place throughout 2018, the foundations will be installed in 2018/19 and wind turbines will be installed in 2019. Looking further ahead, some of the new ways of working pioneered on Hornsea Project One could well be applied on Hornsea Project Two and on Projects Three and Four should they go ahead, but by the time that decisions need to be taken about those projects, Mr Clark believes that technology will inevitably have moved on again, although there may be some solutions in common across Hornsea One and subsequent phases. “We are learning all the time,” he told OWJ. “We are reducing cycle times, taking what we have learned into the next project. Hornsea Project Two will have some elements in common with Project One – the same cable corridor and so on – but Three and Four are further away in time,” although, as he noted, Dong Energy has started consultation as part of the planning process for the 2.4GW Hornsea Three offshore windfarm and is expecting to submit a consent application for the project in 2018. If that happens, construction of this massive project should take place in the 2022–25 timeframe. Hornsea Two is a 1.8GW windfarm and is awaiting a ministerial decision. OWJ

Hornsea Projects

P2 P1

P3 P3

Westermost Rough

Grimsby

United Kingdom

Mablethorpe

Skegness

Race Bank

Lincs

Boston Hunstanton

www.owjonline.com

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

DEVELOPER/UTILITY PROFILE | 25

Vattenfall has stable first half year – to invest in Scottish offshore windfarm Vattenfall in Sweden has confirmed its intention to proceed with an SEK3 billion investment in an offshore windfarm off the Scottish coast

attenfall says that lower costs and a stable production saw its underlying operating profit improve to approximately SEK11 billion (US$1.3 billion) in the first half of 2016. However, low electricity prices and margins result in a continued challenging market, which has led to significant impairments, mainly for its lignite operations. On the renewables front, it has confirmed its intention to proceed with an SEK3 billion (US$350 million) investment in an offshore windfarm off the Scottish coast. The offshore windfarm, the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC), will have 11 turbines and have a capacity of 92.4 megawatts. Apart from generating electricity, it will also be a centre for testing and developing new technologies for offshore wind power. Magnus Hall, CEO and president of Vattenfall, said, “We aim to double our wind power capacity from 2 to 4 gigawatts by 2020 and are focusing on reducing and streamlining our offshore wind power costs. Our investment in the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre off Aberdeen is an important part of this process.” The Scottish Government granted approval for building the windfarm in 2013. After legal challenges were cleared in December 2015, the project team has been preparing for the windfarm’s installation. Construction is expected to start in the latter part of next year so that it can start generating electricity in Northern Hemisphere spring 2018. Onshore construction activity will start later this year. The development of the EOWDC was taken forward with a local

www.owjonline.com

partner, the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, since 2009. In line with earlier agreements, Vattenfall will acquire the Group’s shares and become the sole owner of the project. The decision to invest in the EOWDC comes only a few weeks after the British referendum on leaving the EU and demonstrates Vattenfall’s continuing long-term commitment to wind power in Great Britain. Mr Hall said the project “underscores our long-term aim to extend our wind power capacity in the UK”. He said the British Government “wants wind power to continue making up a significant part of the country’s climate-neutral electricity generation, and we aim to be a part of this development and grow in Great Britain”. Of the company’s results, Mr Hall said, “The first half of the year was characterised by stability in Vattenfall’s operations and a number of important events in our external operating environment that affect the company, such as the Swedish energy agreement. But the business situation remains tough, with low electricity prices and essentially unchanged market volumes. Against this background, it is nevertheless gratifying to report a slightly improved underlying operating profit.” Mr Hall said the market situation has given rise to a need to recognise impairments – mainly for fossil assets – for a total of SEK30 billion (US$ 3.5 billion). Of the impairments, SEK21 billion (US$2.4 billion) is attributable to Vattenfall’s lignite operations. The negative effect would have been even greater if Vattenfall were to hold and continue running the operations, as this would have resulted in larger impairments already in this interim reporting period. “Through

Magnus Hall: “British Government wants wind power to continue making up a significant part of the country’s climateneutral electricity”

the sale, we have clarified Vattenfall’s future focus on delivering what customers want in the form of electricity and heat based on a larger share of renewable production. Germany continues to be one of Vattenfall’s most important markets, with operations in all core business areas,” he explained. The company has also decided to invest in measures to ensure the longterm operation of its nuclear reactors at Forsmark and is currently reviewing the prospects for reactors 3 and 4 at Ringhals. This investment has been made possible by the phase-out of the nuclear capacity tax provided for under the Swedish energy agreement. “We are continuing our work to transform Vattenfall into a significant player in the new energy landscape in which the focus is on the customer. Hard work combined with growth in several areas and continued efficiency improvements will lead us in the right direction,” Mr Hall concluded. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

26 | FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND

DNV GL PLANS RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR NEW FLOATING TURBINE DESIGNS THIRTEEN COMPANIES IN THE OFFSHORE WIND, OIL AND GAS, AND MARITIME SECTORS HAVE LAUNCHED A JOINT INDUSTRY PROJECT – COUPLED ANALYSIS OF FLOATING WIND TURBINES – WHICH WILL FORM THE BASIS OF RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF FLOATING TURBINES

DNV GL says understanding coupled analysis is a key part of designing and optimising a floating offshore wind turbine

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

NV GL says that, despite the growing focus on the development of floating offshore wind turbines, the industry lacks a unified approach to the development of numerical models for floating turbines. DNV GL says standardisation of the way floating wind turbine designs are assessed is an essential step along the road to the development of floating offshore wind. It says guidance on the minimum requirements for the design of new concepts is essential and that it can help the industry evaluate technology, leading to safer, secure commercialisation. “The project is the first of its kind, bringing together multiple stakeholders from the wind, oil and gas, and maritime industries, making it the most interdisciplinary project of its type to date,” said DNV GL. Companies contributing to the development of the recommended practice include Ramboll, Ideol, EDF, Maritime Research Institute Netherlands, STX Solutions Europe, Esteyco, Nautilus Floating Solutions, Dr Techn Olav Olsen, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US, GICON, Glosten Associates, Atkins and

Marintek in Norway. Denis Matha, a floating wind turbine specialist at Ramboll, said he expects the project “will provide an excellent platform to jointly develop recommended practice by addressing the key issues and bringing together the expertise of key stakeholders”. Ideol CEO Paul de la Guérivière said, “We have been convinced for a long time of the benefits of a common framework for load analysis of floating wind turbines. The recommended practice should help the floating offshore wind industry and accelerate development of commercialscale floating windfarms.” The recommended practice will build on experience from the application of offshore standard DNV-OS-J103 Design of Floating Wind Turbine Structures, which was published in 2013 and will focus on methods to fulfil the requirements set out in DNVOS-J103. Since publication, DNV-OS-J103 has been widely used for the design of floating wind turbine structures. “Based on the latest knowledge and practical knowhow, the recommended practice will reduce the

www.owjonline.com

FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND | 27

risk of inadequate analysis and lead to substantial time savings,” said DNV GL. “Further advantages will flow from the focus on the design of floating wind turbines and the validation of numerical models and their subsequent certification. The coherent structure of the recommended practice will also provide a unified cost structure for the project development process.” Luca Vita, project manager for the joint industry project, said, “Analysis of floating wind turbines is a complex challenge that requires the integration of different technologies and disciplines. The lack of a common agreement on the optimal approach to conduct these analyses during the different stages of the design process adds potential risk factors and time delays in project development. It also adds to the cost of developing new designs. This project provides a unique platform to mutually develop recommended practice, which will be beneficial to all industry stakeholders.” Johan Sandberg, segment leader, floating wind turbines at DNV GL, said, “Understanding coupled analysis is a key part of designing and optimising a floating wind turbine, and it is encouraging that the industry’s interest in this has been so strong. The partners in this project will provide a wide range of expertise, which will make the result effective and credible.” Elsewhere, a new design for a floating offshore wind turbine is nearing readiness for full commercial tests and could provide a solution for very low cost generation of electricity. The TLPWIND project, led by Iberdrola Engineering and Construction (IEC) and bringing together the expertise of the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and

www.owjonline.com

the University of Strathclyde, saw the development of a tension leg platform (TLP) turbine foundation to deliver a lightweight and stable solution for floating wind. At a showcase held on 23 June, a scale model of the technology was shown in action to prove the concept, which its proponents believe could lead to an attractive new technology for future offshore wind developments. Juan Amate Lopez from IEC said, “This collaboration has helped take the TLPWIND design forward from being an exciting concept to an even more exciting, working prototype. From design all the way through to testing, we have watched with great enthusiasm as our idea has been brought to reality.” The University of Strathclyde conducted scale model tests to prove the dynamic nature and seakeeping abilities of the TLPWIND platform, utilising test facilities to simulate the conditions likely to be experienced off the northeast coast of Scotland. Replicating conditions of up to 16m waves and 49 m/s wind gusts on a 1:36 scale model, it was able to show that the concept would work in real-world conditions. A levelised cost of energy (LCOE) analysis for the design – based on a 500 megawatt (MW) offshore windfarm in UK waters – was carried out by ORE Catapult, which estimated an LCOE of £95 per megawatt hour (MWh) by 2025, although that could be as low as £91/ MWh. Forecasts suggest the TLPWIND concept, using larger turbines, could deliver costs as low as £88/MWh by 2030 and potentially as low as £64/MWh by 2050. Gavin Smart, an investment and financial analyst for ORE Catapult, said, “Floating offshore wind is likely to be an extremely important technology as

In brief ■ A month after the official launch of Ideol’s first floating offshore wind demonstrator project, Floatgen, Hitachi Zosen in Japan and France-based Ideol have signed a contract launching the construction phase for the pair of floating offshore wind turbines. The contract follows an earlier one between the companies for the design and engineering phase of Floatgen, which started approximately 12 months ago. One of the two floaters will be manufactured using concrete, the other using steel. They will be fitted with different wind turbines and anchored using different mooring line materials. The construction of the project follows a year-long collaboration between the design and engineering teams at the companies, a process that saw them secure approval for the project from ClassNK. ■ US-based Principle Power has completed five years of testing of the prototype of its WindFloat floating offshore wind turbine and says the floater has “met or exceeded all design expectations”. The company said it and its project partners – EDP, Repsol, Portugal Ventures and A Silva Matos – are “extremely pleased with the results of the testing campaign”, and it is now working on a larger, multi-unit windfarm concept that also makes use of the WindFloat concept. The WindFloat Atlantic project, which is being developed with support from the Portuguese state and the EU’s NER300 scheme, a three-unit 25MW array of WindFloat systems, is already at an advanced stage of development here in Portugal. We believe many more floating offshore wind projects will follow throughout the world.” More recently Principle Power and KIC InnoEnergy announced a partnership which includes a €4 million investment from KIC InnoEnergy in the ‘WindFloat – Path to Commercialization’ project. The project is scheduled to conclude in 2018, following a multiyear, multi-disciplinary programme.

we aim to drive down the overall cost of renewable energy. TLPWIND is a novel solution that could unlock the potential in deeper- water sites than we can currently access, while delivering a platform for growth.” In estimating the LCOE of the turbines, ORE Catapult ran projections anticipating more than 50 different scenarios, combining market rates, technological development and site variations. Financial projections included full lifecycle costs from development, through fabrication and

installation, to operation and finally decommissioning. University of Strathclyde professor Sandy Day said, “This technology has been shown to work, and it has been shown to reduce cost. We carried out rigorous testing of the scale models and found that, even under stressful conditions, the platform is both stable and robust.” Delegates at the event were able to see a scale model of the technology in action, including a tow test and demonstration of installation. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

THE CSS MINI -‐ by MARINE ASSETS CORPORATION

The new SOV for oﬀshore renewables. 68 single cabins, Comfort Class Can increase to 120 POB

CRANE 20t NBC capable of 5t @ 25m AHC 2.5t @ 30m GANGWAY Mo=on Compensated from 16m up to 36m

Compact Semi Sub Technology = Stability and Gangway Uptime Connectivity. Info @ macoﬀshore.net

The world’s leading expo for wind energy 27 – 30 SEPTEMBER 2016 Teaming up with

WindEnergy Hamburg is the global meeting point for onshore and offshore experts. The combination of the world’s leading expo for wind energy in conjunction with WindEurope’s leading industry conference represents a one-stop shop for business, networking, policymakers and the scientific community. Register online and save almost 40% on the expo ticket!

CONTRACTOR PROFILE | 29

HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO ENSURES SURVEYS ARE

UP TO SCRATCH Recent weeks have highlighted the importance of accurate surveys of bird life in potential windfarm zones, but not all survey systems are equally effective, according to a German study

urveys undertaken as part of environmental assessment for a proposed windfarm zone or for a specific windfarm used to rely on visual observations from boats. More recently, aerial surveys have become the preferred way of collecting data about seabirds and mammals in an area of interest. Most aerial survey companies use high definition stills cameras, but HiDef Aerial Surveying in the UK has taken the process a step further with the use of super high definition aerial video surveying and image analysis. Since it started working with its first generation of high resolution video in 2008, it has become a preferred contractor for leading developers such as Dong Energy and has worked extensively for The Crown Estate in the UK.

HiDef Aerial Surveying uses a dedicated survey aircraft to collect data for windfarms

www.owjonline.com

As the global offshore wind market has grown, so it has begun licensing the technology it uses to third parties, notably in countries such as Denmark and Germany. Part of a group of companies that have complementary expertise in areas such as intelligent algorithms for military applications, HiDef Aerial Surveying came into existence when David Baillie, a leading wildlife photographer and film maker, decided there must be a better way to collect the kind of data that was needed for environmental assessments. He was aware of the potential of high definition video from another company in the British group. The technology it developed and introduced to the industry was well received by The Crown Estate and by developers who quickly appreciated its benefits. It was less expensive than using people with binoculars and boats and more accurate, and the data that was recorded could be analysed in detail, unlike visual records by observers. As Kit Hawkins, the company’s commercial director explained, very often, observers on a boat can only make an educated guess about the species of bird they are observing or important information such as its altitude. “With high definition video, 95 per cent of the time you know with certainty exactly what kind of bird you are observing,” he told OWJ. Another advantage of high definition video compared with high resolution still photography is that, because of the angle at which the video cameras are inclined, sun glare is very much less of an issue. The company introduced its secondgeneration technology in 2012 and has continued to work for many leading developers since. Recent contracts have seen it selected by Dong Energy to undertake ultra-high resolution digital video aerial surveys for birds and marine megafauna across Hornsea Project Three offshore windfarm after Dong purchased the rights to develop the remainder of the Hornsea Round 3 zone from the SMart Wind consortium. The survey programme

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

30 | CONTRACTOR PROFILE

at Hornsea Project Three builds on the work that HiDef is already undertaking for Dong Energy, including the Burbo Bank Extension and Isle of Man projects. The benefits of the company’s transectbased approach to surveys received a significant boost earlier this year when an academic study confirmed its effectiveness. The HELBIRD study by renowned academics including Dr Bettina Mendel and Professor Stefan Garthe, which was published in May 2016, highlighted the effectiveness of HiDef ’s technology, with a direct comparison to two still camera platforms. The study reported on the findings of inter-technique calibration surveys, where HiDef ’s technology (used under licence in Germany and Denmark by HiDef ’s licensee, BioConsult SH) was shown to have recorded high concentrations of both birds and marine mammals whilst competitor systems only recorded densities that were half as high. This was quite surprising, the report’s authors suggested, given that the weather conditions were almost optimal when this survey was undertaken, with minimal solar glare and a low sea state. Mark Robinson, HiDef ’s managing director, said the study showed that the academic community had confirmed what the UK renewables and conservation sectors have known for some time – that bespoke, high definition video services provide accurate and scientifically robust densities and abundances for offshore wildlife. “Having accurate data is essential for ensuring that the environmental effects of offshore development can be properly considered, leading to project consents that are robust and unchallengeable,” he said. “When selecting a survey provider, potential clients are faced with claim and counter claim by suppliers, especially about their technology and science,” said Mr Robinson. “This study is the first scientific comparison where the supply chain was able to deploy their own preferred techniques. The results are confirmation of our long-held views on how to deliver scientifically robust results. It also highlights the importance of using video technology. The fact that results obtained from our technology were used as the study’s baseline further confirms our place as the industry’s gold standard. We look forward to discussing the implications of this work with our clients, the statutory nature conservation advisers and our wider industry colleagues.” Mr Hawkins said the study is of particular importance to the renewables industry as it confirms the robustness of the results achieved by HiDef at offshore wind sites in the UK and provides comfort to developers and regulators that the counts are scientifically accurate and reliable. He explained that the comparative

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

HiDef provides surveys for potential windfarm zones, surveys windfarm sites for developers and provides post-construction support

surveys were undertaken on the same day, using an approach developed by the University of Kiel, with one aircraft leading and then swapping around to ensure comparability between the results. The comparison of the results showed that HiDef ’s competitor only detected half the birds recorded by the HiDef technology. Statistical analysis showed there to be a 99 per cent probability that this is a statistical difference (effectively confirming the result beyond reasonable scientific doubt). What was also noted by the study was that floating and flying guillemots were recorded much less often by the other aerial techniques. This suggests that their small and dark nature was obviously often overlooked. This difference was especially clear during the first flight, during which optimum detection conditions prevailed. “This has the potential to lead to significant problems with the estimation of populations at any projects that historically used our competitor’s technology,” Mr Hawkins said. As he also explained, there is due to be a further comparison project in 2017, called PHOVICOMP, which will compare BioConsult (HiDef ’s licensee in Germany) and a digital stills method offered by another company. The authors of the HELBIRD study informed HiDef that their competitor that participated in the first study has not been invited to participate in that project and will only be admitted at its own cost if it can demonstrate that it has corrected any issues relating to failed detections. “These concerns have raised further questions about the efficiency of other methods and highlight the massive benefits of HiDef ’s digital video technique,” he concluded. OWJ

Kit Hawkins: “technology that is not as accurate as HiDef’s could under-record bird and mammal populations, leading to problems later”

www.owjonline.com

The first targetless DP sensor optimised for positioning and station keeping at a wind turbine

RANGEGUARD • No DGPS shadowing • Reduces turnaround times: no targets, handover, routine checks • No active targets – no maintenance • No false reflections – immune to ‘walk-off’ incidents • Additional form of redundancy • Small and lightweight sensor design • DP feed for approach and station keeping • Operating range of up to 300m

Supported by our worldwide support network and international offices in;

Guidance Marine Ltd, 5 Tiber Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester, LE19 1QP, UK Tel: + 44 116 229 2600 Email: sales@guidance.eu.com www.guidance.eu.com www.marine.direct

Targetless DP Sensor For Offshore Wind Farm Positioning - A5 Advert.indd 1

08/08/2016 15:23:56

Image courtesy of Acta Marine

AP OWJ-0216-130x190:AP OWJ-0216-130x190 08/02/16 15:13 Page1

Supporting innovation in the offshore wind industry We are with you, all the way Find out more: www.bureauveritas.com Contact us: osv.tug@bureauveritas.com

Move Forward with Confidence

CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH SHIPYARD AND SHIPOWNER WITH THEIR NEWBUILD 309

”Windea La Cour” We are proud to have delivered the vessel´s entire galley, Mare FRB 600 rescue boat and liferafts.

Mare Safety AS Stålhaugen 14 6065 Ulsteinvik Norway

Tlf: (+47) 7000 9810 Email: office@maresafety.com Web: www.maresafety.com

THE SAFE CHOICE www.maresafety.com

Focus on stabilisation

Staying focused

Swedish based Humphree is today the world’s leading manufacturer of Interceptor trim tabs. Interceptor trim tabs are used for superior control of a boats dynamic trim and list. Due to Humphree’s use of ultra fast electric actuators, stabilising can be performed meaning less roll and pitch motions.Typical roll damping is in the area of 40-55%. Humphree’s automatic solutions covers Automatic Trim, Automatic List, Coordinated Turn and our most advanced system, the ACTIVE Ride Control. l

NEW 2015 - Electric stabilising fins Our new unique fin & interceptor system features 24V DC electric actuated fins integrated with our interceptors for a truly full stabilisation package setting a new standard for Monohulls, Catamarans and Trimarans with focus on world class motion control!

NEW 2015 - VMM Vessel Motion Monitoring

Our recently launched VMM is a great tool for captains to monitor accelerations onboard, make changes to speed or course to minimise the risk for a seasick crew and monitor heave motions when docking. The recorder means capacity to evaluate how the vessel have been operated in terms of exact position, time, speed, G-forces and more! To find out more visit our webpage or contact us.

HUMPHREE ®

SERVICE OPERATION VESSELS | 33

Innovative hullform will enhance life on new service ship As new service operation vessels have entered service, so their design has evolved, but BS Offshore’s new vessel is genuinely unique Windea La Cour benefits from the Ulstein X-STERN hull shape, which reduces motions in adverse weather

he service operation vessel (SOV) Windea La Cour, which is to start work for Siemens shortly on the Gemini offshore windfarm, is a genuinely unique vessel, being the first ever built with Ulstein’s X-STERN hull shape, which, the designer and builder suggests, will make the vessel more comfortable to live on than other vessels of its type. Designed and built for Bernhard Schulte Offshore (BS Offshore), the newly delivered SOV is the first of two of the same type and will function as a platform for windfarm operations and maintenance support, providing accommodation and transport for windfarm technicians and providing safe access to turbines. “With the Ulstein SX175, the design team of Ulstein Design & Solutions, Windea, Bernhard Schulte Offshore and Siemens has created a vessel that perfectly fits the needs of the offshore wind industry,” said Matthias Müller, managing director of BS Offshore. “These SOVs are the first vessels with the new X-STERN hull shape. A vessel featuring the X-STERN can be positioned with the stern facing the weather instead of only with the bow, leading to improved weather resilience, greater operability and reduced power and fuel consumption whilst in dynamic positioning mode alongside a wind turbine.” The vessel is the first of two SOVs built at Ulstein Verft in Norway, which BS Offshore will deliver to Siemens. René Cornelis Wigmans, head of maritime and aviation solutions at Siemens Wind Power Service, said, “Siemens is dedicated to the development of innovative offshore service logistics that support efforts to reduce the cost of wind energy. The features on Windea La Cour, such as the X-STERN, will help ensure our technicians have a safe and highly advanced accommodation and service vessel from which to base their offshore operations at Gemini.” The vessels are 88m long with a breadth of 18m, speed of 13.5 knots and accommodation for 60 people and are equipped with a motion compensated gangway system from Uptime in Norway to transfer technicians to wind turbines. “Together, we have developed a flexible and effective solution for the offshore wind service market,” said Tore Ulstein, deputy

www.owjonline.com

CEO and head of market and innovations at Ulstein Group. “During sea trials, the bridge crew noted the vessel’s smooth motions and very low levels of noise and vibration, all of which are important factors in a vessel in which one of the main tasks is to transport service technicians to a windfarm 85km north of the Dutch province of Groningen – a five-hour voyage. Windea Le Cour was able to make a good speed when proceeding forward and when going astern and was easy to manoeuvre in both directions.” In addition to using the Uptime access system to transfer personnel, the vessel is equipped with a daughter craft with capacity for 10 people. The vessel can also carry six containers on deck in which spare parts and equipment can be transported. Six more can be transported below deck. The vessel also provides excellent workshop facilities, along with a high standard of accommodation, with 60 single cabins of which 40 are for windfarm technicians. The vessel also has an advanced, environmentally friendly propulsion system incorporating Siemens’ BlueDrive PlusC electric propulsion system, which reduces operating costs and reduces emissions by optimising combustion. Overall, says Ulstein, the X-STERN and X-BOW hull on the vessel increase operability, enhance seakeeping, reduce fuel consumption and emissions and enhance performance when the vessel is in dynamic positioning (DP) mode. In addition to the above-mentioned suppliers, Rolls-Royce supplied the main propulsion, propulsion and thruster control system, tunnel and azimuth thrusters; Pon Power supplied the main engines and catalytic reduction systems; Marine Technologies supplied the integrated alarm and control system (IAS), DP system and integrated bridge system; Red Rock Marine supplied the gantry crane, offshore crane and davit; Ulstein Power & Control and Ulstein Com provided the switchboards and onboard CCTV; Tuco Marine supplied the workboat; Maritime Products supplied the helideck; Mare Safety supplied the galley, mob boat, liferafts and liferaft davit; Norac supplied the wet room unit; Allweiler supplied the pumps; and ThyssenKrupp supplied the personnel lift. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

34 | SERVICE OPERATION VESSELS

Solution exactly meets DUC Marine’s requirements and will work in the offshore oil and gas and renewables markets

Dutch vessel provides potential Solution for oil and gas and offshore wind Sometimes, the only way to secure a vessel that exactly meets the requirements of the market in which you operate is to design one yourself, which is what a well known Dutch shipowner did recently

ay 2016 saw a multipurpose offshore support vessel, Solution, formally named at Urk in The Netherlands by its owner DUC Marine Group, a company well known as a provider of multipurpose vessels for a range of offshore and nearshore operations. The new vessel was purpose-built for DUC Marine Group, which has been active in diving, construction and maintenance services for the offshore and inshore industries for 30 years. The Dutch company’s other coastal diving support unit, Ram, was already fully employed year round, and vessels that the company looked at on the spot market couldn’t meet its requirements, so it set about creating a medium-size, multipurpose support vessel to “fill the gap”. The vessel aims to fill a gap in the offshore renewables and oil and gas construction

and maintenance industry. Construction of Solution was managed by DUC, in close co-operation with architect Hernand Jansen, Shipcon Yard and Hoekman Yard, and the vessel is due to start work in the Baltic. “The vessels in our fleet are employed year round, so we have had to charter additional vessels for our projects,” a DUC spokesperson explained. “We found that current vessels are either too small with insufficient capacity and possibilities or too big and therefore not cost-effective, so we decided to design a ship with exactly the right size, capacity, versatility and cost efficiency.” The company says that Solution is “perfectly suited” for operations such as buoy installation, single point mooring (SPM) maintenance, bathymetric survey, soil investigation, unexploded ordnance (UXO)

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

surey and clearance, cable removal, debris removal, grouting work and bubble curtain deployment. At 55m with a shallow draught of minimum 2.8m and maximum 3.5m, Solution can work close to wind turbines and platforms. The vessel accommodates 42 people with capacity for additional client offices on the upper deck. “Solution is designed to remain stable even in heavy weather,” said the company. “The low draught has been matched with a low air draught, and the vessel is equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system for superior positioning. There are two knuckleboom cranes – a midships unit of 90 tonnes and, on the aft deck, a 290tonne unit. The main crane includes a 10-tonne active heave compensated winch. These features combined enable Solution to operate in up to sea state 4.” The highly flexible vessel

is also ice classed, with ICE IE class notation, and is capable of beaching and has two moonpools for survey work. Once equipment is on location, a full dive spread can be mobilised in less than six hours, with strongpoints for containers and launch and recovery systems already in place. Solution has a service speed of 12 knots and is a diesel-electric unit with a combination of six Volvo Penta D13 diesel engines delivering 475kW each. Power produced drives two 650kW electric Omega Verhaar propulsors and two 450kW electric thrusters at the bow. One of the bow thrusters is the swingup type. Maritime Support provided extensive support to DUC Marine during the setup of the DP system on Solution in order to help the company maximise operational capability and safety. The company developed a DP operational manual, assisted with operational activity planning on behalf of the owner, and was responsible for the safety management system and procedures required to comply with MARPOL, ISM and ISPS. OWJ

www.owjonline.com

CABLE LAY VESSELS | 35

Siem Aimery was designed to be able to lay cable in challenging environmental conditions

Adverse weather is no obstacle to new cablelayer Siem Offshore’s new cablelay vessel was designed to be able to lay cable in conditions that would thwart many other vessels

he cablelay vessel Siem Aimery, the latest addition to the Siem Offshore fleet, was named on 27 April 2016 at Remontowa Shipbuilding in Gdańsk, Poland. The vessel then underwent final mobilisation prior to commencing cableloading activities for its first project assignment. Siem Aimery was designed for the installation and repair of medium and high voltage submarine cables. Having two carousels low in the vessel’s hull and a hangar-based cable deck, the vessel was specifically designed to work in adverse weather conditions. Siem Offshore Contractors has a long-term charter agreement with Siem Offshore and will be responsible for the cablelaying operations of the vessel. Siem Aimery started work with Siem Moxie, installing the inner-array grid and export cable systems for the Nordsee One offshore windfarm in the coming months. Thereafter, the vessel will continue with the winter installation campaign of the inner-array grid cable system of the Veja Mate offshore windfarm in the German Bight. Wave-related operability has been a significant issue on projects of this type before, and wave height-related issues have historically been a major factor leading to delays in cablelay operations. However, Siem Offshore believes that the new cablelayer provides an answer to this issue, having a hull design that permits cable-handling operations in a significant wave height of up to 3.5m. Designed to satisfy cablelay demands in the offshore wind and offshore oil and gas industries, Siem Aimery was designed with a focus on excellent seakeeping ability,

www.owjonline.com

stationkeeping performance and low fuel consumption. The vessel has two cable carousels/turntables, a sheltered cablelaying deck with tracks and workshops, cable-handling equipment including linear cable engines, a launch and recovery system (LARS) for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) over the stern and a hangar for a trenching ROV with LARS and a gate to launch on the starboard side. The vessel is characterised by high standard, low noise level accommodation and a 360-degree panoramic bridge. The cablelay equipment is engineered to offer a high cable-carrying capacity without sacrificing workability offshore. As highlighted above, by handling the cable via a quadrant and track system in an environmentally protected space, the risk of damage to the cable is reduced and offshore workability is increased. The cablelay specification includes an electrically driven carousel of 2,500 tonnes loading capacity plus another electrically driven carousel of 1,750 tonnes capacity, four electrically driven linear cable engines of 8 tonnes working load limit (WLL) suitable for master-slave mode, two electrically driven feeder cable engines of 2 tonnes WLL and two electrically driven abandonment and recovery winches of 20 tonnes WLL. They are complemented by two electric tugger winches and a cable deployment quadrant of 10 tonnes WLL with adjustable bending radius, four deck cable quadrants (5 tonnes WLL) with adjustable bending radius and 12 modular cable track ways. The cablelaying deck is installed below the main deck in a climate-controlled environment and includes a cable quadrant and track deployment system capable of handling cable protection systems. This design reduces risk to cablelaying crew and the cable, particularly in adverse weather, and adds to the vessel’s ability to continue cablelay operations in extreme conditions. As highlighted above, the design criteria for the vessel also included the ability to operate in extreme conditions and the ability to handle cables in a significant wave height of 3.5m and launch and recover two work-class ROVs and a trenching ROV in the same conditions. The ability to operate in these conditions increases the operational availability of the vessel and extends the number of working days per year. With a length overall of 95.3m and length between perpendiculars of 84.9m, Siem Aimery has a moulded breadth of 21.5m with a trials speed at 100 per cent load on each of the propulsion units at 5.0m draught, clean hull and with sea state 0–1 of approximately 14.0 knots. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

36 | CABLE PROTECTION

Trelleborg introduces innovative cable protection system Trelleborg’s offshore division recently launched a new cable protection system, NjordGuard, for the renewables market

esigned to protect power cables in offshore windfarms, NjordGuard can be installed, removed and reused without the use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or diver intervention, improving safety and reducing installation complexity. The new solution is also suitable for monopile and J-tube installation for wind turbine generators and offshore substation platforms without procedural variation. John Deasey, renewables sales manager at Trelleborg’s offshore operation in the UK, said, “As the industry continues to move further offshore, we can help reduce development time needed for new concepts by transferring our oil and gas industry knowledge and expertise to renewable energy.” Manufactured from API 17L-certified Uraduct material, which is used in the internal and external components, the NjordGuard was designed to have a high level of impact and abrasion resistance. Uraduct has an established reputation as the industry standard for cable and flowline protection. It was designed with a smooth outer surface, which reduces drag and snagging risks. It requires minimal assembly, is easily extendable and can be manufactured to meet any diameter cable. Mr Deasey explained that the new

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

product requires only minimal assembly. The primary external dual stiffener is factory cast directly onto the connector, and the internal stiffener can be supplied pre-assembled. Only the external tail needs to be attached with Trelleborg’s novel connection system, for which a patent is pending. In other news, UK-based Jee Ltd has been awarded a contract by Scottish Power Renewables to carry out an array cable optimisation study for the East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm. The study will focus on minimising capex and opex and aim to minimise potential loss of revenue should one cable fail, by investigating the effect of different route configurations. The interaction with the seabed is also a major consideration due to the presence of sand waves. The costbenefits of adding cable redundancy to the system to minimise downtime will be investigated. The company also recently completed a project for an unspecified windfarm operator to assess the risks to the array cables in an offshore windfarm in UK waters. As part of the study, Jee determined and ranked the risks to the array cables and provided guidance on the acceptability of each risk. Cable spans along the seabed and spans at the monopile bases due to scour were a particular area of concern. Other risks

One of the main advantages of NjordGuard is that it can be installed, removed and reused without the use of ROVs or divers

considered were cable exposure, vortexinduced vibrations and fishing interaction. To conclude, Jee made recommendations for mitigation and management of the risks and provided its client with suggestions for further study. Tekmar Energy recently completed a full-scale demonstration of its products at The Underwater Centre, the subsea training and trials facility based in Fort William in Scotland. The objective of the demonstration was to prove the ability to rapidly and reliably remove a cable protection system without the need for divers. This is particularly important for the future as offshore windfarm projects are being installed in increasingly deep waters where diving becomes more dangerous and costly. Numerous offshore wind companies were in attendance, including Dong Energy, VBMS, Jan de Nul and CWind. The demonstrations were carried out over a two-day period in March 2016. On the first day, the removal operation was performed on a mock-up of a J-tubeless monopile foundation. The second day was reserved to carry out the same operation on a mock-up of a J-tube. Both demonstrations were considered successful with operations being completed considerably quicker than expected. Tekmar also recently confirmed that it had signed an agreement to work collaboratively with a cable supplier on technology and value engineering projects to support the industry drive for cost, risk and lead time reduction and that it had signed a co-operation agreement on cable protection for the Chinese offshore wind market with Covestro, one of the world’s largest polymer companies. OWJ

www.owjonline.com

27 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 30 September 2016

Innovative solutions for offshore wind energy

Offshore Wind Journal 62mmHx190xmmW Aug2016.indd 1

21/07/2016 12:57:41

Get a free 30 day trial to our website and sign up to receive our weekly newsletter Just visit www.owjonline.com

GRID CONNECTION | 39

TenneT says an offshore wind island in the North Sea could help reduce costs and facilitate energy trading between European states

Hub and spoke island in North Sea could drive offshore wind development

enneT is proposing an island in the middle of the North Sea to which numerous offshore windfarms could be connected and from which electricity will be distributed and transmitted using direct current cables to North Sea countries, with the same direct current cables serving as interconnectors between energy markets in the countries. Its thinking is based on an island with a modular structure, with each module covering approximately 6 km². This is big enough to provide space to connect around 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity. The island would be expandable by adding one or two modules of 6 km² each. “TenneT’s vision creates a point of departure for a joint European approach up to 2050 and focuses specifically on developing the North Sea as a source and distribution hub for Europe’s energy transition,” the company said, noting that Dogger Bank might be a suitable location. It believes that considerable cost benefits can be derived from the island concept, as it offers a permanent place for people and resources. These include a joint permanent base for builders of windfarms and infrastructure; joint storage of components such as turbines, rotor blades, pylons, and HV equipment; and a significant reduction in transport costs, which could be achieved by using a landing strip for aircraft. Other benefits include joint maintenance facilities and joint port facilities. “Energy generated from offshore wind has to be transmitted to the

www.owjonline.com

Dutch transmission systems operator TenneT has proposed a new concept for a future European electricity system in the North Sea based on a ‘hub and spoke’ principle and an artificial island to accommodate it

consumer as efficiently as possible,” said TenneT. “Alternating current generated by the windfarms will be changed by converter stations on the island to direct current for transmission to the mainland of one of the North Sea countries. Another great advantage would be that it is no longer necessary to build converter stations on platforms offshore. This would provide substantial cost advantages.” TenneT notes that, currently, utilisation of a connection between an offshore windfarm and the mainland is around 40 per cent. This is because there is not always enough wind or because turbines have to undergo maintenance or repair. “Capacity utilisation can and must be greatly increased by giving the direct current connection the role of an interconnector,” said TenneT. “The

transmission capacity of a direct current connection will then be used not only for the outward movement of wind energy but also for electricity trading between countries, creating a ‘Wind Connector.’ In effect, the island will act as a ‘spider’ in a North Sea web of offshore windfarms and international connections. This will increase the utilisation of a connection between a windfarm and the mainland from around 40 per cent to more like 100 per cent.” Direct current connections will double as interconnectors, and the efficiency of the connections will increase dramatically. The company says the next logical steps in the plan would be to examine the possibility of collaboration between the UK and The Netherlands. It notes that the Borssele, Hollandse Kust (zuid) and Hollandse Kust (noord) projects are already under development and are due to have entered service in 2023. Another project, the IJmuiden Ver (5–6GW), and other wind energy areas that have already been designated may be developed, and the possibility therefore exists of international co-operation between IJmuiden Ver and a UK wind energy area, such as East Anglia. “This might also be feasible in combination with an interconnector to the UK and an island. This might be from 2025–2030,” said TenneT. “The island could perhaps be built on the Dogger Bank, between 2030 and 2050.” It says it plans to enter into talks with the EU and the member states to see whether the required European co-operation can be established. OWJ

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

40 | OFFSHORE OPERATIONS

New technology could help reduce UXO survey costs Detecting and eliminating unexploded ordnance where windfarms are to be built and cables laid is expensive, but technology can help by Andrew Williams

wo World Wars and years of munitions dumping have left a legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) on the seabed in European and North American waters, posing a significant threat to the developers of marine energy projects. Although many munitions, ranging from unexploded bombs to sea mines and torpedoes, are buried beneath the surface, they often become exposed as a result of the ever-changing seabed architecture. UXO presents a threat to any intrusive activity taking place on the Remotely operated vehicles are already used to detect UXO – AUVs could be used in future and could help reduce costs

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

seabed, including geotechnical investigation, drilling, pipelaying and cablelaying and foundation installation. As Simon Cooke, managing director at UK-based UXO management company 6 Alpha Associates explains, UXO poses a fourfold risk to the safe, timely and costefficient completion of marine cabling projects. First, it can cause property damage through inadvertent detonation, potentially resulting in significant damage to equipment and surrounding project infrastructure. Second, the mismanagement of an UXO survey process – possibly leading to the belated discovery or detonation of munitions onsite – can lead to substantial construction delays, downtime and cost overruns. Third, any uncontrolled explosion poses a direct threat to the safety of personnel working in the immediate environment, including divers and crew working on vessels. “Finally,” said Mr Cooke, “project directors and contractors who fail to carry out proper investigations into the threat of UXO on construction sites are accountable by law and could face unlimited fines and severe reputational damage in the eventuality of injury to personnel.” In safely managing the risks posed by UXO, it is vital that companies adhere to clearly defined processes when carrying out operations at offshore wind sites. In this respect, Mr Cooke said 6 Alpha – along with other companies in the market – rely on the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) guidelines Assessment and Management of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Risk in the Marine Environment. Another company that is heavily involved in the management and mitigation of UXO risks is Suffolk-based Ordtek, which, as well as working in line with

www.owjonline.com

OFFSHORE OPERATIONS | 41

UXO RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK (SOURCE: CIRIA) Phase One Having been detected during a survey, some UXO is disposed of

Health & Safety Executive and CIRIA guidelines, has also adopted its own proprietary risk management framework. According to Lee Gooderham, a principal consultant at Ordtek, the process was recently used successfully at the site of a proposed offshore windfarm located in the German Bight, which saw a huge amount of action during both World Wars, including submarine attacks, mining, surface action and air raids on shipping. Following a comprehensive site assessment, the company concluded that the main threats were British World War II air-laid ground mines – particularly given the fact that the site lies within a British minefield, known as Nectarine, where a staggering 11,000 mines were air-dropped between 1941 and 1945. A geophysical contractor undertook high resolution multibeam echo sound, sidescan sonar and magnetometer surveys, which eventually identified 250 potential UXO items. After establishing an exclusion zone and alternative routes for construction workers, detailed investigations were carried out with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) fitted with a zip pump, high definition sonar, multibeam and a TSS (EM) pulse induction system able to detect non-ferrous metallic objects, resulting in the positive identification of seven large items of UXO, including German and UK bombs and a UK ground mine. Finally, an explosive ordnance detection (EOD) subcontractor detonated six UXO items in situ, using a charge disposal system placed by an ROV. Despite the obvious need for UXO mitigation, Mr Gooderham highlights the fact that companies face several technical challenges addressing the issue, including aluminium ground mines used by the Germans in World War II, which evade traditional mine detecting. Work can also be hampered by poor visibility, particularly in bad weather, as well as large magnetic fields, such as wrecks and seabed debris, which could mask items of UXO.

www.owjonline.com

“Traditional technology used for the past 20 years includes magnetometers, sidescan sonars and multibeam echo sounders, which work well in normal conditions. But there are times when new technology can help overcome complex challenges and allow the UXO risk to be managed more effectively,” Mr Gooderham explained. “New technology can help pinpoint unexploded mines, bombs and missiles at new offshore energy sites. Cutting-edge equipment using 3D ‘chirps’ sonar, which penetrates the seabed to find buried UXO such as aluminium mines buried up to 7m deep, as well as electromagnetic sensors and other specialised sonar are also being used to spot UXO in challenging conditions and are helping to clear offshore windfarm and cabling sites,” he told OWJ. Mr Cooke agrees that companies operating in this sphere continue to face a number of challenges, not least financial ones posed by the need for expensive offshore or intertidal geophysical UXO surveys, which require high resolution data capture as well as timely and accurate data processing. From a technical and operational perspective, he points out that high resolution close-line spaced survey data is also time consuming and expensive to gather. To help reduce the costs associated with collecting data, Mr Cooke said 6 Alpha is working closely with the UK’s National Oceanography Centre to try to halve the cost of UXO surveys through the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). “That work is at an early stage, and we are actively seeking inputs from developers and contractors to help inform and steer this work,” he said. “The elements of surveys where the cost of risk mitigation are highest also offer the best opportunities for cost reduction. Survey and target investigation costs especially are high, and we think they can be reduced by using new survey and better dataprocessing techniques,” he concluded. OWJ

UXO Threat Assessment – carrying out a high level desk-based threat assessment based on historical records helps inform planning and decision making and is a quick and cost-effective way to determine whether there is a real chance of UXO being found on a project site.

Phase Two

UXO Risk Assessment – if the initial assessment has suggested that there is a reasonable chance of encountering UXO on a site, this second stage helps define exactly what the inherent risk is to project infrastructure and construction activities, taking into account the type of activities being undertaken, as well as employing georeferenced hazard charts to plot hazards to form a detailed UXO database.

Phase Three

UXO Management Strategy – risk share, transfer and mitigation options are evaluated based on client risk appetite, together with solutions and discharge of liabilities. All such risks, but operational and safety risks especially, are benchmarked using the legal ‘as low as reasonably practicable’ (ALARP) principle.

Phase Four

UXO Risk Mitigation Planning – a detailed framework is specified for those risk mitigation measures required to detect, avoid and/or remove threats. Importantly, this includes the detailed technical specification for geophysical survey to detect those UXO in the threat spectrum, including prove-out trials, data processing, anomaly grading and selection, investigation and verification criteria.

Phase Five

UXO Risk Mitigation Delivery – specialist contractors are hired to undertake the work as specified in the risk mitigation design. This commonly involves a geophysical UXO survey to detect anomalies that model as UXO. Should such anomalies be detected, ROVs (and/or divers) can be sent in to carry out investigations. If the hazard is proven and there is no scope for avoiding it – such as on a designated foundation site or cabling route – it will either be made safe (via a controlled detonation) in situ, or if necessary, it can be carefully moved to a safe location for subsequent disposal.

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

42 | INSURANCE

Incidents relating to the installation and operation of high voltage subsea cables are the most costly cause of financial losses in the offshore wind industry

Cable incidents are largest cause of losses in offshore wind industry

recently released report by leading renewable energy insurance underwriters GCube has concluded that incidents relating to the installation and operation of high voltage subsea cables are the most costly cause of financial losses in the global offshore wind industry. Incidents of this type led to insurance claims totalling more than €60 million in 2015. According to the author of the Down to the Wire report, Jatin Sharma, who is head of business development at GCube Underwriting, subsea cable failures now account for 77 per cent of the total global cost of offshore windfarm losses. “The financial severity of cabling incidents rose by 25 per cent in 2015 and led to global insurance claims of over €60 million,” he explained. “Two-thirds of cable faults can be attributed to contractor error during the installation phases – many of which manifest during the first two years of operation,” he says. Down to the Wire is the fifth in a series of GCube claims reports, each of which analyses a specific technology or issue in the renewable energy sector. The reports are targeted specifically at the company’s community of brokers and those it insures and aims to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration in mitigating some of the most common and costly losses experienced by the sector. GCube’s insureds account for 75 per cent of the offshore wind market share in Europe, giving the company a wealth of insight and data on industry losses and insurance claims. “We have used this database and publicly available records to compile statistics on the total number and cost of claims for each of the past seven years and also to analyse the most common

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

The author of a report on insurance claims relating to cables used in the offshore wind industry believes the way contracts are managed is to blame for many problems by Andrew Williams root causes of those claims – ranging from contractor error to design defects, mechanical faults and weather,” he said. “We also took the time to interview a number of spokespeople from experienced firms across the sector to benefit from their specific expertise and develop best-practice recommendations for mitigating cabling issues.” Although Mr Sharma highlights the fact that technical solutions are constantly being developed to target specific problems that occur during installation and operation, he admits that managing the impact of human error is still “arguably the greatest challenge”. In his view, the “overwhelming drive” to reduce the levelised cost of electricity has “unintentionally promoted questionable decision making both on the side of the developer and the contractor”. All too often, he says, human error is at the root of problems made by repeat offenders, who complete a project under considerable time and cost pressure only for failures to occur during routine operation a couple of years down the line. Moreover, in an industry he claims is focused on “aggressively driving down costs”, he argues that there is currently “very little incentive provided by

developers for improvement”. Unless some action is taken to address this, he also warns that the toll and severity of cabling incidents is only going to rise further. “Ultimately, when it comes to sharing lessons learned, there is no substitute for full transparency and consistent dialogue between project teams and the industry at large. It is becoming increasingly clear that there needs to be a broad behavioural shift in the way developers balance risk and reward in supply and installation contracts,” he told OWJ. “Cable claim trends indicate that the current contractor model of undertaking work for a fixed price and assuming a lot of risk is simply not a viable long-term strategy. Developers need to think more creatively about sharing the upside of successfully installing a cable free of incident – and, even more importantly, avoiding longer-term defects that manifest during the operational lifetime.” OWJ

Jatin Sharma: “two-thirds of cable faults can be attributed to contractor error during the installation phases”

www.owjonline.com

FOUNDATIONS | 43

EDF Energy launches monopile inspection challenge

ovel inspection and monitoring systems are being sought by EDF Energy that can guarantee the structural integrity of a monopile foundation over its lifetime, which the company has set at 25 years. It is making £5,000–10,000 available per project for research projects. EDF Energy is funding this competition, and EDF and Innovate UK are working in partnership to run it. The research competition has two themes – one relates to EDF’s nuclear facilities and to inspection of high risk components in advanced gas-cooled nuclear reactors, and the other relates to offshore windfarms. The monopile challenge focuses on long-term solutions for corrosion monitoring and control in foundations. EDF Energy says it considers the internal corrosion behaviour of monopiles as “unique” in the offshore context. “That is why it needs novel inspection and monitoring solutions. These will ensure that operators can maintain the foundation structural integrity over its 25-year lifetime,” said the company, noting that corrosion within monopile foundations is a cause for concern for offshore windfarms. The main problem is a deviation from the original design assumptions made for early offshore windfarm projects. This predicted that the inside of the monopile would be completely airtight and watertight. Operational experience has shown that a completely sealed compartment is difficult to achieve. This is due to periodic ventilation of the compartment below the airtight deck during inspections. It is also caused by fresh seawater ingress through potential leakages in the export cable seals at the bottom of the foundation. This is why EDF expects the anticipated rate of internal corrosion to continue instead of reducing. Retrofitting internal galvanic anodebased cathodic protection systems within monopile foundations has mitigated the onset of continuing corrosion. However, this has also introduced other problems.

www.owjonline.com

EDF Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy companies and its largest producer of low carbon electricity, has set researchers the task of developing long-term solutions to corrosion in monopile foundations on offshore windfarms

These include inconsistent protection of the internal surface over the length of the foundation below the airtight deck. It also includes acidification of the internal water column due to the ongoing cathodic protection reaction. EDF expects this to speed up corrosion. “Observations show that certain regions of the foundation internal surface (below the airtight deck) corrode at a higher rate than anticipated. To understand the impact of corrosion on foundation structural integrity, EDF needs to inspect and monitor regions of concern close to joints such as welds at depths of up to 20m that are often constructed from carbon steel with thicknesses up to 100mm, continue

to monitor internal environmental parameters that have an effect on corrosion and inspect and characterise the condition of retrofitted cathodic protection systems. At present, it is quite difficult to regularly monitor and inspect. This is because of access constraints, issues related to working in a confined space and hazards related to carrying out underwater inspections. As a result, EDF Energy is looking for solutions that allow for remote thickness measurement, novel approaches for measuring and monitoring corrosion (material loss) in situ, remote inspection of welds and the internal cathodic protection system and underwater thickness measurement through biofouling. OWJ

EDF Energy is looking for solutions to measure corrosion of monopiles once they are in the water

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

44 | ANALYSIS

FRIENDS OF FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND GROUP LAUNCHED

n May, 10 technology developers and associations announced that that they had joined forces to form the Friends of Floating Offshore Wind to promote the interests of floating offshore wind in Scotland and the UK in order to create favourable conditions for the further development of the sector in these areas. As outlined in its recently published manifesto, a key aim of the group is to join forces in defining the support requirements for floating offshore wind and communicating these to the general public and relevant stakeholders. In recognition of the common challenges faced on the road to commercialisation, the group will also work together to suggest initiatives and mechanisms to help the industry facilitate the rapid commercialisation of floating wind – with the ultimate goal being to ensure that floating wind competes on an equal footing with other low carbon sources of electricity generation by 2025. According to Úna Brosnan, offshore wind growth manager at Atkins Renewables – one of the founding members of the Friends of Floating Offshore Wind along with Pilot Offshore Renewables, Ideol, Hexicon, GICON, Principle Power, Glosten PelaStar, ACS Cobra, RES Offshore and Floating Power Plant – there are a number of key advantages to floating offshore wind, including an increased capacity for wind resource exploitation and deployment further from shore. Her colleagues in the new group highlight advantages such as increased wind exploitation, because floating offshore wind allows larger turbines to be used. Shoreside assembly eliminates heavy lifts, reduces risk and reduces weather dependency. It also allows access to a larger resource base

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

The potential of floating offshore wind is vast and it has many advantages, its proponents argue, and with the right support mechanisms, those advantages can be realised by Andrew Williams

because it is not restricted to shallower water depths (typically >50m). Deployment further offshore reduces planning risk and potential visual impacts. Floating windfarms would also be easier to repair or upgrade because of the ability to tow structures to shore. Anchored moorings, pre-installed gravity anchors and mooring lines can eliminate piling activity and associated negative environmental impacts. Wind turbine generators could be installed alongside, rather than offshore, so there would be less need for jack-ups. And of course, one of the biggest potential benefits is cost and the potential for significantly improved economics in the medium/long term. Despite what she perceives as the clear advantages of floating offshore projects, Ms Brosnan admits that the Scottish and UK sector still faces a number of challenges, not least relating to its ability to share common challenges and knowledge. “This is primarily because of the nascent nature of floating technologies and the fact that many of the companies developing them are small and wholly dependent on maintaining their IP,” she told OWJ. “Part of the remit of the Friends of Floating Offshore Wind is to overcome

these challenges, and other initiatives such as the DNV GL coupled analysis joint industry project (see elsewhere in this issue) will help to bridge this.” Ms Brosnan also points out that securing marine consent for floating projects is a timeconsuming and unpredictable process that is disproportionate for demonstrator and small pilot projects, requiring extensive engagement with many stakeholders. She believes it would help technology development if an appropriate generic preconsent could be granted to accelerate this process, particularly for smaller sized projects. Elsewhere, she says that the securing of grid connection has proved unpredictable on Atkins projects and, she argues, a mechanism that enables terms to be fixed would certainly improve the bankability of potential developments. “Government support, such as renewable obligation certificates (ROCs), is essential for floating wind at its current technology readiness level,” she said. “The target is, of course, for floating wind to be viable in its own right, but the industry must receive extra support to make this journey. Greater clarity is needed post-ROCs on the support mechanisms available to floating wind. Without this, the concern is that UK developments will stall, with other countries stealing the march,” she said. In spite of ongoing challenges, Ms Brosnan remains confident that the potential for future floating wind developments around the UK coast is “vast” and, given rapidly growing interest from numerous countries, predicts that the technology will continue to mature. “The UK itself has a hugely rich resource in areas that are not suitable for conventional offshore fixed structure solutions,” she explained. “We are already a world leader in offshore wind, and with the right support mechanisms in the early years, there is every opportunity for the UK to establish a world-beating floating wind industry.” Chris McConville, UK business developer at Floating Power Plant – another partner in the group – agrees that the potential for floating wind in the UK is significant. “The majority of areas suitable for fixed foundation offshore wind have been leased. However, there remain significant opportunities for floating wind, especially off the west coast, with some 30 gigawatts of development potential to 2050,” he told OWJ. “In the shorter term, we are already seeing the first small arrays of 5-8 units being consented or under consideration for deployment before 2020. The first large-scale arrays are likely to be commissioned before 2025,” he concluded. OWJ

www.owjonline.com

Complete safety solutions - from one point of contact When your workplace happens to be a wet steel ladder 30 meters above sea level or the windswept top of a nacelle offshore, there’s not much room for mistakes. That’s why VIKING has developed a full range of protective suits, lifejackets and offshore safety solutions to keep you safe, so that you can focus on your job.

What we offer Offshore work and transfer suits Lifejackets and accessories Liferafts, lifebuoys and davits Complete range of safety products Marine firefighting equipment Global equipment servicing

Contact your local VIKING representative to learn more.

Meet VIKING at WindEnergy Hamburg 27-30 September 2016

VIKING LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT - Protecting people and business

WWW.VIKING-LIFE.COM

A BECOME EUK BL RENEWA & VISIT MEMBERITION FOR IB THE EXHREE!! F

Wind, Wave, Tidal & Energy Storage You asked. We listened.

RenewableUK members can visit the exhibition for free. Business Partnering offers up to 8 targeted 1-2-1 meetings. 3 sponsored theatres within the exhibition halls. Up to 40% reduction on visitor & conference passes (non-members).

#RUKMARKET16 Events.RenewableUK.com

TURBINES & TURBINE TECHNOLOGY | 47

8MW TURBINES THE NEW BENCHMARK OFFSHORE

he first example of Siemen’s SWT-8.0-154 – its new, more powerful turbine – will be installed in early 2017. The SWT-8.0-154 is based on an evolved version of Siemens’ existing offshore direct drive platform. “Once again, the direct drive platform is enabling a significant reduction in the levelised cost of energy,” said Siemens, noting that type certification for the 8MW turbine is expected to be obtained at the beginning of 2018. The upgrade of the direct drive wind turbine to 8MW was made possible through the introduction of new magnet technology that exceeds the performance of the technology in the SWT-7.0-154. This enables a rated power increase of more than 14 per cent from 7.0MW to 8.0MW. The company notes that, just as the upgrade from 6.0MW to 7.0MW benefited from an established supply chain and proven components, so too will the upgrade from 7.0MW to 8.0MW. The components in question include the B75 blade and the medium-voltage transformer of the SWT8.0-154. “Since the higher rating will be achieved with only a few component upgrades, customers will again benefit from fast time to market and low risk as the key value drivers,” Siemens said. “We are relentlessly working on lowering the levelised cost of energy, and the offshore direct drive platform enables us to do this with the lowest possible risk,” said Michael Hannibal, chief executive, offshore at Siemens’ wind power and renewables division. Approximately 150 offshore direct drive wind turbines rated at 6MW have already been installed and commissioned. The company says two SWT-7.0-154 prototypes – installed at the Østerild test site in northwestern Denmark – are performing well above expectations. The prototype of the SWT-8.0154 is due to be installed by early 2017. Vattenfall has placed an order for 49 V164-8.0 MW turbines for the 406MW Horns Rev 3 project off the west coast of Denmark. The contract includes a five-year service contract to optimise power production. The V164-8.0 MW turbines – rated with

www.owjonline.com

SIEMENS HAS CONFIRMED THAT ITS NEWLY DEVELOPED 8 MEGAWATT OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE, THE SWT-8.0-154, WILL PROVIDE AN ANNUAL ENERGY PRODUCTION THAT IS 10 PER CENT GREATER THAN ITS PREDECESSOR THE SWT-7.0-154, AND VATTENFALL HAS PLACED AN ORDER FOR V164-8.0 MW TURBINES FOR HORNS REV 3

a capacity of 8MW – will be optimised for the Horns Rev 3 project, utilising a power mode to enable them to deliver a maximum output of 8.3MW, further increasing the value for the customer. MHI Vestas Offshore Wind chief executive Jens Tommerup said, “Larger and more powerful wind turbines are a key driver of cost reduction. The use of an 8.3MW power mode with the large 164m rotor diameter provides an optimised rotor to generator ratio, demonstrating our ongoing focus on improving our technology, continuing to maximise value for our customers. The Horns Rev 3 project will set a new milestone for affordable offshore wind power, and we look forward to working with Vattenfall on delivering that goal. We have a strong track record with Vattenfall, underlined by the 300MW Thanet project and the 160MW Horns Rev 1 project among others.” LM Wind Power has completed the manufacturing process for the longest blade ever produced for a wind turbine. The 88.4m blade was designed and built for Adwen’s AD 8-180 offshore wind turbine model, which has a nominal capacity of 8MW. The rotor for the turbine will have a diameter of 180m. The first of the huge blades was completed recently at LM Wind Power’s factory in Lunderskov in Denmark and is due to be transported to a facility in Aalborg where it will commence testing as part of Adwen’s extensive product validation plan for the new turbine. Engineering teams from both companies have been working together for months to design and integrate a blade for a turbine they believe will contribute significantly to reducing the levelised cost of energy from offshore wind. With the largest rotor in the industry, the AD 8-180 has the highest annual energy production (AEP) of all wind turbines. OWJ

TOP: The SWT-8.0-154 was made possible through the introduction of new magnet technology that exceeds the performance of the technology in the SWT-7.0-154 BOTTOM: Michael Hannibal: “direct drive enables us to reduce costs with the lowest possible risk”

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

48 | TURBINE SUPPORT VESSELS

Acta Orion pioneers new way of working on Gemini offshore windfarm Construction support vessel owner Acta Marine and a fleet of crew transfer vessels have pioneered new ways of working on the Gemini offshore windfarm by Philip Woodcock

Acta Orion combines excellent seakeeping with comfortable accommodation and an access system from Ampelmann

here is a lot of talk at the moment about how service operation vessels (SOVs) are the future of personnel transfer in the offshore wind industry. Huge investment is being made in new and retrofitted equipment, with many vessel owners seeing offshore wind as a port of refuge for beleaguered offshore support vessels. However, not all SOVs are the same, as owner Acta Marine claims. Acta Orion is not your typical SOV and is marketed by Acta Marine as a construction support vessel due to its larger accommodation capacity and cargo decks for more than 20 containers. When launched in late 2015, many said that the vessel was too long and not wide enough to be successful, but the last six months of operations have proved them wrong.

Acta Orion’s hullform is an adaptation of the successful line of Dutch North Sea cargo carriers that have a long and slender hull shape. When these were designed, the emphasis wasn’t so much on seakeeping, but Acta Orion’s slender hullform has proven ideal for limiting roll in typical short-period wave conditions experienced in the North Sea. This is very important when acting as an SOV, both for the comfort of the clients onboard and for the performance of the motion compensated gangway, in this case, an Ampelmann E-type, which is mounted on the centreline amidships. Client comfort, transferring personnel safely and cost efficiency are the ‘holy trinity’ of SOV operations. In all three elements, Acta Orion succeeds. Due to its large size, client personnel have much more space than would

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

normally be found on an 80-person offshore support vessel. This allows Acta Marine to provide a large amount of recreational space for windfarm technicians to enjoy in their off-duty time. When on duty, the vessel also has a large number of offices and conference rooms where the complicated task of delivering a ‘balance of plant’ contract like Gemini is performed. In this offshore think-tank, the management of Van Oord Offshore Wind Projects planned and delivered the foundation and cable installation of this massive, 600 megawatt (MW) offshore project. It was found that having the project offices just below the bridge allowed the project team to easily communicate with the navigation crew but did not introduce the risk of bridge operations being disturbed by the pressures

of project management. Communication is essential to the success of any major project but is especially challenging when operating so far from shore. Acta Orion provides a dedicated communications office with connections to the key points of the vessel and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite data and communications allowing for all infield and field-toshore communications. For crew transfer vessels (CTVs), satellite communication is a costly investment, so a wireless (WiFi) transmitter is mounted on Acta Orion’s deck to send and receive emails when in close proximity to the ship. It was found by CTVs and the project team alike that the telephone application WhatsApp was the most reliable means of staying in touch as it requires very little connectivity and works also via

www.owjonline.com

TURBINE SUPPORT VESSELS | 49

WiFi. For future projects, Acta Marine has said that separated recreational and professional VSAT would be considered to ensure that welfare needs do not impact on the operational performance of the project. Gemini is a combined project of two 300MW windfarms located more than 40 nautical miles off the northern Dutch coast. It consists of 150 Siemens SWY-4.0-130 wind turbines. Gemini claims many firsts including being completely EPCI constructed, with Siemens awarded the towers and turbines contract and Van Oord responsible for the balance of plant. Both engineering, procurement, construction and installation contractors have ‘skin in the game’, having taken equity stakes in the project. The windfarm developer is also not your normal energy utility but Canadian energy investor Northland Power. The balance of plant timetable was ambitious for such a large project so far from a base port – with the export cable starting in March 2015 and the first CTVs arriving in June 2015. At the time of writing, the balance of plant was expected to be delivered by September 2016. The peak of operations on Gemini saw three SOVs with dynamic gangways supporting eight CTVs. This spread gave the construction partners huge redundancy no matter the weather offshore. Acta Orion supported CTVs from Acta Marine, Turbine Transfers and Stemat. The logistic spread saw the CTV crews staying offshore on Acta Orion and the cable vessels Nexus and Jan Steen. At one point in March 2016, three Acta Marine CTVs remained constantly offshore for 22 days without a port call. Undertaking 24-hour operations in co-operation with Acta Orion’s Ampelmann gangway significantly enhanced productivity for

www.owjonline.com

Van Oord’s site team. During January and February, Acta Orion achieved over 60 per cent operational availability, which leapt to in excess of 90 per cent in March and April. In the same period, the CTVs performed 1,100 landings with 7,500 individual transfers. The Ampelmann has made 1,300 landings, 5,000 transfers so far and performed 750 cargo lifts of up to 1,000kg. Acta Orion looked after its smaller cousins well, providing fuel and fresh water at all hours and good food and a warm bed at the end of a long day. For the CTV crews, the first few days of offshore operations were a real challenge as most of them were used to traditional shorebased projects. It was found that the human elements in leadership and management (HELM) course that many had attended helped to make crews aware of the challenges of living together for long periods of time. To support CTV operations offshore, it is vital that the SOV has a good boat landing, offset from the hull and well clear of the thruster wash. Acta Orion was originally built with boat landings recessed into the hull, which makes free running and port entry easy, but consultation with CTV crews during final construction saw a third offset boat landing fitted. The height of boat landings is critical. The distance to climb

Dutch owner returns to wind sector after spell in oil and gas Chevalier Floatels, the well known Dutch owner of offshore accommodation vessels, has secured a series of contracts in the renewable sector in recent months. After some crew change contracts in the spring due to the helicopter outages in the offshore oil and gas sector, the company returned its fleet to the renewable sector. DP Gezina secured contracts for met mast maintenance and work on converter stations. DP Galyna secured work on converter stations and was also due to deliver support for cable installation projects. The vessels were due to use their Ampelmann offshore access systems to provide safe access to offshore platforms. is in excess of 2m, so fall arrest arrangements and training needs to be provided not only to the technicians but also vessel crew. The ability to transfer fuel safely and quickly is a much missed asset on most windfarm projects – when bunkering offshore, miscalculation can severely impact operations. Acta Orion was delivered with a high speed offshore transfer rig, with dry break couplings in the hose and high pressure Todo fittings on the vessels. This meant that the vessels are exposed to risk for the minimum amount of time when pushed on with a fuel rig attached, and the risk of environmental incident is reduced to a manageable level. Although many SOV operators make bullish claims about workability, Acta Marine, with its combination of construction support vessel Acta Orion and a support

fleet of crew transfer vessels, has established a baseline for winter workability in the harsh conditions of the German Bight. Six months of operations have allowed main contractor Van Oord to maintain an aggressive construction schedule by finding the equivalent of one extra month of workability during the winter. Following the experience of this first winter of operations, Acta Marine says it can “confidently agree” a 3.0m significant wave height (Hs) workability in contract terms. In this case, Acta Orion has demonstrated that size really does matter when building offshore. OWJ *Philip Woodcock is chairman of the Workboat Safety Forum and operations director – Workships Contractors BV and Acta Marine Wind Services BV

Acta Orion enabled Acta Marine to pioneer a new way of working with CTVs

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

50 | TURBINE SUPPORT VESSELS

Safety statistics help build picture of growing industry The National Workboat Association in the UK has followed up publication of its inaugural safety statistics with new ones for 2015 – statistics that show some encouraging trends by Philip Woodcock

t Seawork 2015, the National Workboat Association (NWA) made industry history when the inaugural Workboat Safety Statistics were published at a meeting of the Workboat Safety Forum. This year at Seawork, the NWA proved that publication of its first set of safety statistics wasn’t just a flash in the pan by unveiling the 2015 Workboat Safety Statistics report, the venue once again being a Workboat Safety Forum, which took place on the newly constructed crew transfer vessel (CTV) Dalby Ouse. Members were very grateful to Stuart McNiven and his team at Dalby Offshore for allowing the forum to take over his vessel for three hours. The NWA is the trade association for owners and operators of workboats constructed to the UK Workboat Code. It has 75 members with 552 vessels registered. It was founded in 2014 in order to give voice to safety within the workboat industry.

Its membership includes workboat operators and industry representatives with an interest in safety in the industry. It was founded with two main goals – to break down the barriers to being open about safety and to produce member safety statistics so that workboat operators can benchmark against other industries and identify areas where the industry could work together to improve safety. The initial exercise saw 242 workboats report nearly 4.6 million exposure hours. For 2015, through the hard efforts of members and the NWA to improve reporting, this return leaped to 337 reporting vessels and nearly 5.8 million exposure hours, an increase of 39 per cent and 26 per cent respectively. The 2015 results were marred by the tragic fatality caused by a crane collapsing on the workboat Carol Anne. The NWA’s condolences go out to the family of the master of Carol Anne, his crewman who had to cope with the incident and all the personnel at management company Inverlussa. The tragedy highlights the importance of the ‘management of change’ when doing technical modifications to a vessel. Despite the fatality, the statistics for 2015 showed some encouraging trends, namely that lost-time injuries (LTIs) were down 16 from 23 in 2014 with the corresponding lost-time injury frequency rate (the number of incidents per 100,000 exposure hours) also down to 2.77 from 5.01 in 2014. As the method of measuring total recordable injuries was significantly changed between the 2014 and 2015 campaigns, these numbers cannot be

One of the National Workboat Association's aims is to give a voice to safety issues in the workboat industry

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

www.owjonline.com

TURBINE SUPPORT VESSELS | 51

compared year on year. However, for 2015, this was at a frequency rate of 4.15. As in 2014, the number of vessels reporting was roughly evenly split between CTVs (159) and other workboats (178). ‘Other workboats’ include tugs, multicats, diving, survey, pilot and guard vessels. The number of incidents reported was also evenly divided between CTVs (40) and other workboats (37). However, there was a noticeable difference between the number of LTIs reported, with CTVs (5) being much lower than other workboats (11), the majority of the latter occurring on tugs and multicats. This demonstrates that, although the CTVs have more people exposed to danger, the risk of an LTI is lower. On the tugs and multicats, through the nature of the work on deck, there appears to be a higher potential for injury. In an attempt to obtain a clearer understanding of the data, the 2015 campaign captured more detail on the causes and categories of injuries. Slips, trips and falls were by far the largest cause with 25 of the 77 reported injuries within this category. Muscle strain was found to be the most significant category (30). Anecdotal information from the discussion that followed the presentation demonstrated that the members agreed with the observations that companionways onboard and means of access from shore were

two obvious areas of concern. Unfortunately, the heading of ‘other’ was the second largest cause and category, which reduced the usefulness of the data somewhat. One always has to remember that, from only two years of data, it is impossible to accurately show trends or draw conclusions. What one can say is that it is a good sign that more data has been gathered and that the data had more usable detail. It is also good to see that there were fewer injuries in 2015, but one cannot forget how easily tragedy can strike. It is to be hoped that, with the poor market conditions in the renewable energy and offshore oil and gas industries, we will not see increased incidents in 2016, although one can expect a decrease in the hours worked. The NWA’s members should be congratulated on their efforts to work safely and report their results. The wider industry, which is enjoying a period of low fuel costs and heavily discounted charter rates, must remain aware that continued downward pressure on charter rates will have a detrimental impact on safety. OWJ *Philip Woodcock is chairman, Workboat Safety Forum, and operations director, Workships Contractors BV and Acta Marine Wind Services BV

SUMMARY OF NWA SAFETY STATISTICS FOR 2015

Total exposure hours

Crew

Pax

Total

Total 2014

4,984,296

798,158

5,782,454

4,587,631 23

Total transfers

269,314

Total lost time injuries (LTI)

Total recordable injuries (TRI)

Total fatalities Total lost-time injury rate (LTIR)

3.21

0.00

2.77

5.80

Causes

Crew

Pax

Total

Manual handling

Lifting (incl. dropped objects)

Slips, trips and falls Equipment

Total recordable injury rate (TRIR)

4.21

3.76

4.15

Total fatal accident rate (FAR)

20.06

0.00

17.29

0.00

Other

INCIDENT DATA 2015 Vessel type

Number of vessels

Minor injuries

Medical treatment

Lost-time injuries

Crew

Pax

Crew

Pax

Crew

Pax

MAIB LTI

Fatalities Crew

Pax

Total by vessel type

Crew transfer

159

Diving support

Guard vessel Multicat Pilotage

Survey

Tug

Other

Total

337

www.owjonline.com

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

52 | PROFILE

Political changes have added to uncertainties TO TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF RECENT CHANGES IN THE UK AND WHAT THEY MIGHT MEAN FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY, OWJ SPOKE TO DR DAVID TOKE, READER IN ENERGY POLITICS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN

R Dr David Toke: “symbolically at least, abolition of DECC looks like a bad sign, but it is too early to tell what it might mean for renewable energy”

ecent weeks have seen major changes in the political landscape in the UK with Brexit, the referendum decision by voters that the UK should leave the EU, and the formation of a new government led by Theresa May, one of whose first actions was to abolish the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) and roll it up into a new ‘mega department’ – the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (DBEIS). Dr Toke, a well known commentator on energy policy who writes a regular green energy blog (http://realfeed-intariffs.blogspot.co.uk/), said there will certainly be a number of indirect effects of Brexit. One of the most obvious is the fact that, after the Brexit decision, the value of the pound fell steeply. “This will increase the cost of equipment imported into the UK,” he said, although hopefully with UK content in offshore wind growing, this will have less of an effect than it might have done. Brexit has also raised the possibility of another referendum on Scotland leaving the UK. If it left the UK, Scotland could opt to try to rejoin the EU or go down another route. This means more uncertainty and imponderables, says Dr Toke, but there is little doubt that support for renewable energy has long been greater in Scotland. “Once out of the UK, if that is what happens, Scotland could establish its own funding regime for renewables. Onshore wind, long recognised as a low cost source of renewable energy, might get a fairer deal from Holyrood, the Scottish Parliament, than it has from Westminster. Compared with onshore wind, offshore wind remains relatively more expensive, although costs are coming down quickly,” said Dr Toke. As he noted in a recent blog, this summer, the Dutch Government awarded a contract to build two offshore windfarms for €87 (£74)

Offshore Wind Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016

per megawatt hour (MWh), some 25 per cent cheaper than the current value of the contract for the proposed Hinkley C nuclear power station in the UK. “The price for Borssele I and Borssele II includes transmission costs, but unlike the case of the proposed Hinkley C nuclear power station, the price does not include any offer of loan guarantees from the government,” said Dr Toke. “Hinkley C is routinely reported as being paid £92.50 for a 35-year contract, but this is in 2012 prices. The current (2016) price is £100 per MWh, which puts it as being a lot more expensive than the Borssele offshore wind project.” The Dutch project and others in Europe have seen prices tumbling in the past couple of years compared to earlier contracts awarded in the UK. So why have costs for offshore wind been falling so much, and how come the costs appear to be so much lower than the UK’s, whose last (2015) auctions revealed prices for offshore wind of around £120 per MWh? According to Dr Toke, it is important to note that both the Danish and the Dutch tender processes are “much superior” to the relatively ‘laissez faire’ approach of the British, which increases uncertainty and thus investment costs, he claims. In the Dutch and Danish cases, the sites have been carefully evaluated for technical and planning considerations before the tender, and permits have been assured. In the case of the UK, developers are left to bear the risk of these factors. Another issue that concerns Dr Toke is funding for renewables projects. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has played a prominent role in funding offshore wind projects in the UK in recent years. Whether it will continue to be a large-scale funder of renewable projects in the UK is not yet clear, Dr Toke says. Dr Toke said that, symbolically at least, abolition of DECC is a bad sign but believes that it is too early to tell whether it indicates a pulling back from renewables by the government in the UK or not. He believes that the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. In the near term, he says, the next round of contracts for difference (CFDs) will certainly tell us something about the May administration’s commitment to renewables. OWJ

www.owjonline.com

....connecting markets MPI Offshoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fleet of purposebuilt offshore foundation and wind turbine installation vessels plus an experienced team make us a world leader in offshore wind installation.

See us at Wind Energy Hamburg, 27-30 September 2016: Stand 114, Hall B4:EG

Exactly where you need us MPI Workboats operate a fleet of high speed crew transfer and offshore workboats - designed to operate in the demanding environment for the Offshore Wind Industry.

+44 (0) 1642 742200 info@uk.mpi-offshore.com www.mpi-offshore.com