London Array News

Denmark-based offshore wind developer Ørsted and ATP, Denmark’s largest institutional investor, have teamed up to bring leading offshore construction specialists to Denmark to support their bid for the North Sea energy island.Back in February, Denmark approved the construction of the first of its kind wind energy hub in the North Sea that promises to produce yet unseen amounts of green electricity, in what has been described as the largest construction project in Danish history.The…

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a Multi Cat 2712 to Orkney-based Leask Marine. The vessel has been delivered just six weeks following contract; a result of Damen’s series building philosophy. She will perform a variety of marine engineering-related tasks, including dive support, anchor-handling and cable-laying assistance.The Multi Cat, named C-Force, is Leask Marine’s second Damen vessel. They have operated their first, the C-Salvor, a Multi Cat 2409, for many years. The company approached the shipbuilder with a request to deliver a new vessel very quickly.Damen…

Global energy company E.ON has signed an agreement to purchase clean energy from British wind farms of RWE Renewables.The 2.5-year agreement is on purchasing the output of more than 20 British wind farms, supplying sustainable power to the grid and supporting E.ON’s commitment to provide 100% renewable power for its UK customers.With this power purchase agreement (PPA) E.ON buys around 3TWh of power annually from wind farms around Great Britain which are operated by RWE. It covers a capacity of 892MW of onshore and offshore wind generation and includes a proportion of the London Array, currently the world’s second largest offshore wind…

The world's largest offshore wind farm will open on Thursday off the northwest coast of England when Danish energy group Orsted unveils the Walney Extension project.The wind farm has a capacity of 659 megawatts (MW), enough to power almost 600,000 homes, and overtakes the London Array off England's east coast which has a capacity of 630 MW.Walney Extension is made up of 87 turbines built by Siemens Gamesa and MHI Vestas, and covers 145 square kilometers (55 square miles), which is equivalent to around 20,000 football pitches.The 40 eight-megawatt MHI Vestas turbines being used stand 195 meters

DONG Energy announced today it has decided to construct the 660MW Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm, located in the Irish Sea, approximately 19 kilometersm off the west coast of Britain. The final investment decision has been made after securing all necessary consents from authorities, completing site assessments and having signed the majority of the contracts for supply and installation to build the project, DONG said. Walney Extension is expected to be fully commissioned in 2018…

CWind announced that it is has been awarded a contract for the supply of two crew transfer vessels to the London Array offshore wind farm (OWF) supporting operation and maintenance (O&M) activities. London Array OWF is located 20 km off the Kent coast in the outer Thames Estuary. Both workboats, the CWind Alliance and CWind Artimus, will be operating from Ramsgate in Kent. CWind Alliance is very familiar with the site and in 2013 received a recognition by Siemens for its outstanding vessel performance on site.

While the recent swoon in world oil and gas prices has predictably cooled a number of offshore renewable projects, there is a palpable change regarding the way in which the world views renewable energy. Renewable energy projects, at one time merely serving as window dressing, are slowly weaving their way into the mainstream energy mix, with European countries, namely the U.K., leading the way. In November world leaders will arrive in Paris to negotiate a new global agreement on climate change…

U.K. energy regulator Ofgem on Wednesday launched a £400 million tender for linking offshore wind farms in the North Sea to Britain's national power grid. Ofgem is calling for firms to construct high-voltage transmission links to connect the Westermost Rough wind farm owned by WMR Limited, part of DONG Energy, and the Humber Gateway wind farm owned by E.ON., to the grid, Ofgem said in a statement. The two sites have a combined capacity of 425 megawatts, while the successful bidders will receive a guaranteed revenue stream for 20 years, Ofgem said. Offshore wind farm developers are required by the regulator to open their transmission assets for tender to encourage competition and lower prices.

Forewind, in agreement with The Crown Estate has revised the current development potential for the total capacity of the wind energy projects in the Dogger Bank Zone from 9 gigawatts (GW) to 7.2 GW. At the same time, the consortium behind London Array has announced it will not proceed with the development of Phase 2 of the offshore wind farm. The revision has been made following more than four years of offshore and onshore surveys and assessments, which have concluded that the…

Clean Energy Pipeline, the online daily financial news and data service dedicated to the clean energy sector, released its preliminary analysis of venture capital, private equity, project finance, mergers and acquisitions and public markets activity during 4Q13 and 2013. New investment in the global clean energy sector totalled $58.2 billion in 4Q13, a 15% increase on the $50.7 billion invested in 3Q13 but a 21% decrease on the $74.1 billion recorded in the corresponding period in 2012. Despite the quarterly increase, total investment throughout 2013 decreased 20% year-on-year to $212 billion. Total investment in the global clean energy sector has now fallen for two consecutive years.

DONG Energy A/S London Array, a joint venture owned by DONG Energy (50%), E.ON (30%) and Masdar (20%), have announced  an agreement for the sale of transmission assets at the world’s largest offshore wind farm to Blue Transmission London Array Limited. London Array Wind Farm is located around 20 km off the coasts of Kent and Essex on a 100km2 site. Its 175 Siemens 3.6MW turbines have a combined capacity of 630MW and are expected to produce enough electricity to power over half a million UK homes each year. The divestment takes place pursuant to the Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO) regime. Following a competitive tender, Blue Transmission London Array Limited was in September 2012 selected by Ofgem as preferred bidder for the London Array offshore transmission licence.

Profit after tax was DKK 0.4 billion, down DKK 0.3 billion on the first half of 2012. First-half 2013 net investments amounted to DKK 3.2 billion against DKK 6.1 billion in the first half of 2012. As part of DONG Energy’s 2020 strategy, which was presented on 27 February of this year, a number of measures were initiated to streamline and improve the efficiency of structures and processes with a view to enhancing the company’s competitiveness. This work has now been completed and will result in a reduction of 350-400 jobs. The initiatives are expected to reduce costs by DKK 0.3 billion in 2014.

Europe adds 1,045 MW of offshore wind in the first half of 2013, but there are challenges ahead according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). 277 new offshore wind turbines, totalling 1,045 megawatts (MW), were fully grid connected in Europe during the first six months of 2013. This is double compared to the same period in 2012 when 523.2 MW were installed. In addition, 268 foundations were installed and 254 turbines erected, all during the first 181 days of the year.

The world's largest offshore wind farm (OWF) London Array has 175 Siemens wind turbines installed. Together with Dong Energy, Siemens will also be responsible for the service of the wind turbines through a long-term agreement. The wind power plant owned, developed and built by a consortium consisting of Dong Energy, E.ON and Masdar has a total capacity of 630 megawatts (MW) and will generate enough power to supply 500,000 British households with clean electricity. This offshore wind farm will reduce annual CO2 emissions by approximately 900…

Essex-based CTruk said it topped off a busy first day at Seawork International by signing an agreement with a new client, Paul Knight, for their now proven composite 20T multi-purpose catamaran design. Isle of Mull-based Paul started his own shellfish export business at the age of 18 and has always had a head for opportunities. Later adding a commercial fishing arm to PDK Marine, Paul bought his first vessel seven years ago and has owned several since. It was in 2010 that his attention turned to the progress of offshore wind farm construction around the U.K.…

Ruud Lievaart, owner of Netherlands-based Sima Charters, has inked the agreement for a second CTruk 20T multi-purpose catamaran during Seawork International in Southampton this week. For CTruk this signing means that every client it works with has taken a second CTruk vessel, the company said. The new 18.5m composite workboat, to be named SC Falcon, is expected to join Sima Charters’ expanding fleet of offshore tender boats in February 2014. Instantly recognizable in the field from it bright yellow and blue livery…

Hereford-based Offshore Turbine Services reported savings from choosing composite over aluminum craft in the offshore wind market. As the company takes delivery of its fourth CTruk 20T multi-purpose cat, Commander P, and eagerly awaits Commodore P, the fifth, this May, chairman Phil Collins commented on this decision, “We are very pleased that in under a year we have managed to establish ourselves in such a dynamic and innovative industry. OTS operations director Nick Bright has worked closely with CTruk on design enhancements to the wheelhouse…

CTruck-built offshore wind farm support vessel 'CWind Alliance' delivered an impressive 363 days of operation on the London Array during 2012. Peter Jørgensen, CWind managing director, commented “We are delighted to have achieved such a high level of performance with this vessel. She is a core part of the fleet at CWind, allowing our teams to efficiently undertake the varied and complex tasks demanded by the industry whilst also reducing their carbon footprint with the inherent fuel savings.

Offshore wind-power producers from Dong Energy A/S to RWE AG are building custom ships at record rates to reduce the cost of the technology which is  three times as pricey as electricity from coal plants. As many as 20 vessels, some with movable legs which reach the seafloor, will come onto the market in the next few years, reducing chartering costs of as much as 200,000 euros ($261,000) a day, said Marc Seidel, an offshore engineer at Suzlon Energy Ltd., which supplies turbines to Germany’s RWE. A lack of specialized installation ships has forced companies to hire barges designed for oil exploration, holding up work at projects such as EON AG’s Robin Rigg wind farm off Scotland’s western coast.

The award recognises Masdar's work in deploying renewable energy projects including Shams One, a 100MW concentrated solar power plant in Abu Dhabi; London Array, a 1GW offshore wind farm, and Gemasolar, a 20MW concentrating solar thermal plant. Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, Masdar, invests in clean technologies, deploys renewable energy projects and is building a city that adheres to the most rigorous sustainability standards. Masdar also invests in intellectual and human capital through the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Organised by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the award seeks to honour individuals whose actions and leadership have made a far-reaching positive impact on the environment. “I am honoured to be a recipient of this prestigious award.

The third CTruk 20T multi-purpose catamaran to join the expanding Offshore Turbine Services fleet is now operational on the London Array. The new vessel, named Admiral P,  joins sister workboats Cardinal P and Captain P, all resin-infusion composite vessels designed and built by CTruk at its base in Brightlingsea, Essex, UK. Offshore Turbine Services’ aim was to enter and make their mark on an increasingly competitive offshore wind support market. Vessel choice was therefore a key consideration…

Array cable installation completed at London Array by a small fleet of specialised vessels. Six days after the final foundation was installed at London Array the project has achieved another milestone – all array cables have now been installed at the offshore site. The installation of the last array cable was completed recently by the Normand Flower. Altogether, 187 cables have been installed by a combination of vessels – Jan Steen, Stemat 82, Stemat Oslo, Normand Flower and the Pontra Maris.

A Scottish maritime company has taken delivery of a second Twin Axe Design offshore wind farm support vessel. MCS Pampero, sister vessel to MCS Sirocco which joined the fleet in June, was handed over to Maritime Craft Services in Singapore and will go straight to work in NW Europe from mid-December. They join crew transfer vessels MCS Zephyr and MCS Maestro South Boat catamarans which were acquired last year. The Largs-based company also announced it is to invest €11m in a further three Damen Twin Axe Design FCS 2610s which will be delivered in March…