Offshore Wind Vessels Charging Study Gets Underway in Irish Sea
Maersk’s offshore vessel-charging venture Stillstrom has launched a collaborative study with EnBW and BP, the developers of the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farms, to assess the viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for service and crew transfer vessels for the two projects.
The study will evaluate the operational, technical, and economic viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) into the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farms – for the future enablement of electric O&M vessel operations.
The Morgan and Mona offshore wind farm projects in the eastern Irish Sea could have a combined potential generating capacity of 3 GW, which is estimated to provide enough electricity for around 3 million UK homes each year.
Offshore charging is a pioneering ocean technology that will enable and allow wind farm developers and operators to achieve an electrified and decarbonized offshore wind farm vessel operation throughout the lifetime of the wind farm by utilizing electricity produced at site for an all-electric O&M operation.
The study specifically focuses on offshore charging solutions connecting and integrating to the wind farms’ offshore substations.
It encompasses a review of Stillstrom offshore charging solutions and focuses on two scenarios - directly from the offshore substation via hang-off solutions, and from offshore charging buoys, considering the technical intricacies of each solution and vessel types.
The feasibility study started at the end of November 2023 and is set to be completed by the end of January 2024.
The findings of this feasibility study are anticipated to play a crucial role in the further decisions to integrate offshore charging into the Morgan and Mona wind farms and align with wind farm installation campaigns.
“Innovative charging solutions can play an important role in both the electrification and decarbonization of offshore wind farm vessel operation. We look forward to seeing how these innovative solutions could help our projects deliver secure, low carbon energy to the UK and support the UK’s ambition to be net zero by 2050,” said Richard Haydock, Program Director, UK offshore wind, BP.
The next steps following the evaluation would involve initiating a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study prior to FID and installation of offshore charging solutions in the Morgan and Mona wind farms.
“This partnership signifies a major leap forward for offshore charging and electrification in the maritime industry, showcasing the transformative potential of sustainable energy solutions. We believe that our collaboration will set new standards for environmentally conscious practices in offshore wind operations, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future,” added Kristian Borum Jorgensen, CEO of Stillstrom.
