Wind Energy Sector News

One of the largest port-infrastructure companies Euroports and Spanish offshore wind developer BlueFloat Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster cooperation in supply chain and ports infrastructure for the delivery of offshore wind in Europe.The strategic alliance marks a significant step forward in building capabilities and infrastructure critical to establish an offshore wind energy sector.Euroports, with its distinguished reputation as a premier offshore wind port operator…

A record year for building new wind farms and a rebound in investments in the sector have raised hopes that the EU may achieve its clean energy targets, industry group WindEurope said on Wednesday.In an annual report, WindEurope described 2023 as a year of "significant improvements" in key areas of Europe's wind energy sector, which struggled in 2022 with soaring inflation, interest rates and volatile energy markets after Russia invaded Ukraine.Investments in European offshore wind last year jumped to 30 billion euros, up from the scant 0.4 billion euros that were invested in 2022.

Morgan Stanley's infrastructure investment arm is teaming up with U.S. maritime, energy and logistics solutions company Crowley to advance offshore wind energy solutions for the United States.Investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners (MSIP), a private infrastructure fund platform within Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM), will hold a majority stake in Crowley Wind Services Holdings, a joint venture combining Crowley's end-to-end maritime and logistics capabilities with the financial strength and expertise of Morgan Stanley.

U.S.-based ammonia power solutions company Amogy announced it is partnering with Norway's Southwind to explore joint opportunities in offshore wind.Southwind aims to establish Kristiansand as an operational base for offshore wind field developments and as a hub for a national competence center. Amogy, which expanded its operations to Norway in 2022, said it recognizes the potential that the offshore industry holds for its innovative ammonia-to-power technology and has formed multiple…

Wagenborg Towage confirmed Monday that Jan De Nul had awarded it a contract for transporting 107 monopile foundations for Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farms in Germany to Eemshaven. Assisted by the tug ‘waterlines’, the first transports arrived in Eemshaven under agency of Wagenborg.In the upcoming months, Wagenborg will perform another 35 voyages with monopiles from Germany and Denmark to the temporary storage in Eemshaven using a specially equipped pontoon…

U.S. offshore wind developer Mayflower Wind announced Francis Slingsby has assumed the role of chief executive officer, succeeding Michael Brown who will join the company's board of directors.“I am delighted to join Mayflower Wind as we continue to accelerate the transformation to a cleaner energy future,” said Slingsby, who brings over a decade of experience in commercial and business development in the U.S. offshore wind energy sector. “Mayflower Wind has successfully built a leadership position in the offshore wind market…

Offshore wind installation services company Seajacks UK, as of recently a subsidiary of Eneti, has established an operational base in the City of Virginia Beach, Va.Seajacks has been providing Blue Ocean Energy Marine, a Dominion Energy-owned company, with support services relating to the construction and operation of the first Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel, Charybdis, seen as a key vessel for the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry.The…

Singapore-based Strategic Marine delivered a pair of 27m CTVs to WEM Marine Ltd, a UK-based offshore support vessel provider with a growing fleet servicing the renewable offshore wind energy sector. This is WEM’s first order with the Strategic Marine Group.To date Strategic Marine has delivered 23 CTV’s to offshore wind vessel operators, according to Chan Eng Yew, CEO of Strategic Marine.The CTVs were both built in Singapore, designed to meet the specific requirements of WEM who intends to deploy the vessels in UK and European waters.

The past decade has seen tight restrictions on emissions from vessels, notably with a 2015 move to a .10% sulfur maximum in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in North America and in northern Europe. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now shapes shipping’s decarbonization future, shipowners are looking at transitions away from fossil fuels. Among the myriad of alternatives are lithium ion batteries and some early forays into hydrogen fuel cells.To date, large batteries are used on short runs…

Crowley Maritime Corporation has promoted Alisa Praskovich to vice president of sustainability to orchestrate Crowley’s environmental, social responsibility and governance (ESG) activities. Based in Jacksonville, Fla., she reports to chief operating officer Ray Fitzgerald.Sustainability responsibilities under Praskovich include supporting Crowley’s continuing commitment to cleaner, environmentally friendly technologies and operations, such as the company’s New Energy Division…

Jan De Nul has ordered a heavy lift crane vessel capable of lifting 5,000 metric tons from the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China. The vessel, to be named Les Alizés and due to enter service in 2022, will be equipped with a full SCHOTTEL propulsion package, including four rudderpropellers, two retractable rudderpropellers and two transverse thrusters.The main propulsion system of the crane vessel consists of four electrically driven SCHOTTEL Rudderpropellers type SRP 610 FP – each with an input power of 3,000 kilowatts and a propeller diameter of 3.3 etersm – installed at the stern.

The Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA) and the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society (PTMEW) have announced plans to form a cooperation agreement for offshore wind energy in Poland modeled on the UK's Offshore Wind Sector Deal concluded in March 2019.The bodies together with their Members established cooperation in order to elaborate multilateral 'Declaration of Cooperation for Polish Offshore Wind Energy Sector Development' to be signed by three parties: government/administration, OWF investors and supply chain.The draft declaration is inspired by British 'Offshore Wind Sector Deal' signed in March 2019. Final project is to be elaborated till the end of June 2020.Meanwhile…

Luxembourg-based Jan De Nul has ordered a second mega offshore installation vessel, Les Alizés, from the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China.Together with the Voltaire, the new floating installation crane vessel will be in a super-size class of its own, capable of building the newest generation of offshore wind farms.Les Alizés, that will be ready in 2022, is equipped with a crane having a lifting capacity of 5,000 tons and equally impressive lifting heights. Les Alizés will mainly be used for the construction of offshore wind farms, but with her impressive crane she is also extremely suitable for decommissioning offshore oil and gas platforms."Thanks to her dimensions and impressive lifting and loading capacities…

Polish Ministry of Energy has finished internal work on draft 'offshore wind act'. The draft is to be further proceeded now by Government on the legislative path through public consultations.Dedicated offshore wind act is one of the most awaited key drivers for opening and boosting of Polish offshore wind energy sector development.The ministry said that the draft is the result of “intensive work and consultations with many partners” and is now ready for “further legislative work”.Minister of energy Krzysztof Tchorzewski said: “I am convinced that the proposed regulations will significantly contribute to the future creation of a systemically formed offshore wind energy sector in Poland.”"We hope we will spend the remainder of November and December on streamlining the project," he said.

North American brownfield redevelopment firm Commercial Development Co. Inc. (CDC) has announced an expanded port operations agreement at the Brayton Point Commerce Center, a former Massachusetts coal plant being redeveloped into an offshore wind hub. The port operations agreement further builds upon CDC’s vision to transform the former coal-fired power plant site into a world-class logistics port, manufacturing hub, and support center for the offshore wind energy sector.The Brayton Point Commerce Center is equipped with a 34-ft deep water port capable of berthing large trans-Atlantic merchant vessels – once used to import coal, the port will now be used for bulk cargo…

Norway-based global maritime industry group Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM) has announced the acquisition of a 50% stake of NorSea Wind and it’s subsidiaries to expand its offerings in the the renewable wind energy market.NorSea Wind, founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of  Norsea Group, provides project management and logistics planning throughout all stages for on and offshore wind farm projects.It is the focal element within Norsea Group where it integrates all service offerings for the wind energy segment as it’s go-to-market strategy. Its accumulated expertise and experience combined with proven track record globally provide a market…

French utility Engie and Spanish partner EDP Renovaveis (EDPR) announced their alliance with the Japanese group Sumitomo Corporation to build the French offshore wind farms of Dieppe-Le Tréport and Yeu-Noirmoutier.As part of the alliance, Sumitomo Corporation acquires a 29.5% equity stake in the French offshore projects (Dieppe Le Tréport and Yeu Noirmoutier) and will bring to the consortium its proven and complementary offshore wind expertise in terms of development, construction and operation.ENGIE remains the reference shareholder with a 31% stake and the leading industrial player of both parks (496 MW each), in partnership with EDPR (29…

British-Dutch oil and gas company Shell has joined the Global Wind Energy Council as a board level member as part of its 'new energies strategy' that includes expansion of wind business.Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, says: “We are delighted to have Shell join GWEC’s board. Shell’s experience across energy markets in many geographies and deep knowledge of technology development and engineering will bring a valuable new perspective to our work in accelerating the growth of the wind industry across the world.”Dorine Bosman, VP Shell Wind Development, says: “We are pleased to join GWEC and their Offshore Taskforce to help accelerate the development of offshore wind, an important part of Shell’s growing New Energies portfolio.

Switzerland based Liebherr Group together with the Norwegian companies OHT, Ulstein Design & Solution BV, DNV-GL as well as Chinese shipyard CMHI are working to manufacture a unique vessel for applications in the wind energy sector, decommissioning, the installation of offshore platforms and for heavy-duty transports. CMHI, a well known manufacturer of offshore equipment and large vessels, is going to build the 216.3 meter long ship at its dockyard in Haimen on behalf of the heavy transport vessel operator, OHT. Ship designing company Ulstein created the patented Alfa Lift concept in close cooperation with OHT.OHT’s new semi-submersible vessel also provides an ultramodern installation concept which will influence and change the offshore market.

The Switch has recruited Ville Parpala as Director, Product Marketing, Marine Solutions, as it targets its ambition of achieving growth of 200 percent in the marine segment across the next five years. The firm, a specialist in the development and supply of advanced drive train solutions, said it will leverage Parpala’s vast experience and contact book, to push its ability to deliver enhanced efficiency, cost savings and environmental performance to the shipping industry worldwide.

For the US energy industry, 2014 will be remembered as the year when crude oil prices fell below 50$/bbl, resulting in significant realignments in the sector. Aside from the oil price collapse and the historic high of domestic natural gas production, several other energy records were set last year. Both solar and wind energy production reached an all-time high in the US, contributing to a record 9.8% of total primary energy supply. The US is ranked the second largest producer of wind energy. With more than 65 GW installed capacity in 39 states, wind energy represented over 4% of national power generation in 2014. Annual installations peaked in 2012 when some 13 GW of new capacity came online.

Existing wind farm has 367 MW capacity; extension is for a further 750 MW capacity. The British government has given consent for an offshore wind farm off Cumbria in the Irish Sea to be extended, Britain's Planning Inspectorate said on Friday, tripling its total electricity generation capacity. Walney wind farm currently has capacity of 367 megawatts (MW) and is owned by DONG Energy and SSE. The extension, owned solely by DONG Energy, will be to the west and northwest of the existing site, adding up to 750 MW of capacity. "This is a significant application for the offshore wind energy sector. It could add 207 offshore wind turbines to the existing 102 turbines of Walney 1 and 2 to generate enough to provide electricity to over half a million homes…

Existing wind farm has 367 MW capacity; extension is for a further 750 MW capacity. The British government has given consent for an offshore wind farm off Cumbria in the Irish Sea to be extended, Britain's Planning Inspectorate said on Friday, tripling its total electricity generation capacity. The extension of the Walney wind farm developed by DONG Energy and SSE will be to the west and northwest and will add up to 750 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity to the 367 MW currently. "This is a significant application for the offshore wind energy sector. It could add 207 offshore wind turbines to the existing 102 turbines of Walney 1 and 2 to generate enough to provide electricity to over half a million homes," Planning Inspectorate chief Simon Ridley said in a statement.