Offshore Wind

GL Garrad Hassan Winner of Two DOE Grants

Hamburg, Germany – GL Garrad Hassan, part of the GL Group, has been awarded grants by the US Department of Energy (DOE) of $500,000 and $200,000 to fund two studies to identify optimal strategies for the installation, operation, and maintenance of offshore wind farms and to assess the readiness of US ports to meet the needs of the industry. To meet the renewable energy targets of the next century, offshore wind projects hold great promise with steady, strong winds, abundant space and low impacts. These benefits are not without their challenges, however, as developing offshore wind power projects requires significant investment, expertise and a reliable knowledge base. The grants to Garrad Hassan are part of a broader DOE offshore wind initiative, which has awarded over $43 million for projects aiming to accelerate technical innovations, lower costs, and shorten the timeline for deploying offshore wind energy systems. GL Garrad Hassan will undertake a detailed analysis of the current and future needs of the U.S. offshore wind industry for port facilities, by examining the suitability of ports to meet the technical requirements of the industry for the assembly, construction, and operational staging of offshore projects. This study will also identify gaps in the capability of individual ports to service regional offshore projects and identify potential investment opportunities to boost this capacity.

Gamesa, Northrop Grumman Launch Offshore Wind Technology Center

Gamesa Technology Corp., a global wind energy company, and the shipbuilding operations of Northrop Grumman Corp., America's largest shipbuilder, launched the Offshore Wind Technology Center to jointly develop the next generation of offshore wind systems that will be deployed in the United States and around the world. Plans call for the development of North America's first offshore wind turbines by late next year.  

DONG Energy & Siemens Sign UK Offshore Wind Farm Agreement

DONG Energy and Siemens Energy sign to supply & service 300 offshore wind turbines for installation offshore UK The framework agreement is in regard to the 
supply and servicing of a total of 300 offshore wind turbines of 6 megawatt 
each, yielding  a total capacity of 1,800 megawatt. The turbines will be installed 
at selected DONG Energy offshore wind farms in the UK in the period 2014-2017. 

 Under the framework agreement, Siemens Energy will design, manufacture, supply

DECC Grant for OSBIT to Develop Offshore Access Technology

Engineering company OSBIT Power (OP) has been confirmed as a successful bidder to a major Government scheme to support manufacturers developing next generation offshore wind technology. OP, based in Riding Mill, Northumberland has been awarded a £615,000 grant to help develop its MaXccess offshore wind access technology to facilitate safe personnel transfer from the larger dynamically-positioned vessels expected to be used on future offshore wind projects.

Great Lakes May be Home to Offshore Wind

According to reports, the waters of the Great Lakes, near the shores of Canada, may soon be home to offshore wind power. The Province of Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has lifted a deferral on applications to produce offshore wind power in the province's waters. This decision came after the province took steps over the past year to obtain the best available information on which to base decisions regarding offshore projects on. These steps have included partnering with the U.S

Dong to Spend $1.8 Billion A Year for Offshore Wind Farms

Dong Energy A/S plans to invest about $1.8 billion a year on offshore wind projects to offset a “challenging” environment for gas plants, as it ceases to build new coal power facilities, its chief said. That’s about what the world’s largest developer of offshore wind parks spent last year on turbines installed at sea. “We think that is around that level we will be working at in the coming years,” said Anders Eldrup

Siemens to Supply Eighty N. Sea Wind Turbines

Siemens contracted by Germany's wpd group to supply & install 80 wind turbines for the Butendiek offshore wind power plant. The agreement also covers a long-term maintenance contract for a period of ten years, the first of its kind for an offshore wind project. Siemens is to provide a new logistics concept that includes a service operation vessel specially developed for deployments to offshore wind facilities. The order volume including service is more than EUR 700-million.

Winchmann-Hansen, Pres. Global Marine Energy

Global Marine Systems announced Kim Wichmann-Hansen as President of Global Marine Energy, a division focused on Subsea Electrical infrastructure for the Offshore Wind and Energy Transmission markets, as well as Subsea Umbilical and Cable Transportation & Installation for the Offshore Oil & Gas industry. “Despite tough economic conditions around the world, we believe that investment in non-polluting energy sources such as offshore wind must and will continue

First Portuguese Offshore Wind Turbine

Portugal's first offshore wind turbine inaugurated by Energias de Portugal, Repsol, Principle Power, A. Silva Matos (ASM), Vestas Wind Systems A/S & InovCapital The turbine is installed on an innovative floating foundation called the WindFloat. 

In addition to being the first offshore wind turbine in Portugal, this is the first offshore wind turbine to be installed without the use of any heavy lift vessels or piling equipment at sea

English Channel 700MW Windfarm Project

Plans for a giant wind farm off the coast near Brighton advance as developer E.ON submits initial planning application to the Government. The energy giant, which was granted the rights to the Hastings Round 3 offshore wind development zone back in 2010, withdrew its first application for a development consent order (DCO) late last year after it emerged it had failed to consult neighbouring councils in Sevenoaks and Surrey, reports REVE.