Norway’s Crown Prince Opens Offshore Wind Farm
Today His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will officially open the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm built off the coast of Norfolk by owners Statoil and Statkraft. The Crown Prince will open the wind farm at an official ceremony at historic Holkham Hall in North Norfolk with support from UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Edward Davey; Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Ola Borten Moe; Minister of Trade and Industry, Trond Giske; and the owners’ presidents and CEOs, Helge Lund from Statoil and Christian Rynning-Tønnesen from Statkraft. Sheringham Shoal is owned equally by Statoil and Statkraft through the joint-venture company Scira Offshore Energy Limited.
Sheringham Shoal Wind Farm Guard Vessel
A guard vessel is now in operation on the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm to ensure the safety of marine traffic around the foundation installation sites and along the export cable corridor. The 118-ft vessel, Jadi, has been contracted from UK-based marine solutions company, Offshore Marine Management. Her key role is to assist the heavy-lift vessel, Svanen, which is now installing the monopiles and transition pieces, by alerting other vessels such as fishing and sailing boats, of the location of its eight anchor buoys and ensuring they stay clear of the construction area.
Project Report: Sheringham Shoal Goes Offshore
On June 24, the first foundation was installed at sea for the Sheringham Shoal offshore wind project. Construction work on land is already well underway, and the 88-turbine wind farm is scheduled to start operation in 2011. The first of 90 monopile foundations was installed off the Norfolk coast by the heavy lift vessel “Svanen”. Over the next nine months, the vessel will install the remaining 89 foundations ready for the mounting of two substations and 88 wind turbines. “On land, we’re already well ahead, the substation is nearing its final form, and the onshore cable is nearly finished.
