News Archive November 2016

Energy intensive industries benefit financially from investments in the European wind industry, WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said at a BusinessEurope event yesterday.

Nordex: order intake of 111 MW in Turkey

Eksim Yatirim orders 37 turbines for three projects

Vestas is pleased to announce the long-term renewal of the entire portfolio of Active Output Management (AOM) 5000 service agreements with C2C Power LP’s subsidiaries for a total of 632 MW of projects.

IRENA: Falling Costs and Tech Innovations Will Drive Offshore Wind Power Boom

Offshore wind could grow more than 650% by 2030, becoming a key power generation technology

EBRD finances wind power plant in Jordan

US$ 70 million to Green Watts Renewable Energy for the construction of Al Rajef wind power plant

From summer 2019, A2SEA will play a key role in building East Anglia ONE off the coast of Great Yarmouth in the UK. East Anglia ONE is one of the Round three projects in the UK. The total capacity of the wind farm is 714MW.

RTS Wind Recruitment Limited establishes office based in Hull (UK)

RTS Wind are forever expanding.

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind creates 70 new jobs in the Solent region, UK

MHI Vestas continues to add significant value to the Solent Region with the company announcing 70 new jobs at its blade production facility on the Isle of Wight.

JDR, a leading supplier of subsea power cables and umbilicals to the global offshore energy industry, has been awarded a contract by DONG Energy to supply subsea power cables for the Hornsea Project One.

Concentrating Efforts for Wind Power Generation in Japan and Worldwide

WWEC2016 Conference Resolution: 15th World Wind Energy Conference

The US$34 million Gori onshore wind farm, located approximately 70km west of Tbilisi in Georgia, has successfully achieved financial close. Mott MacDonald is lenders’ technical advisor on the project and will now monitor construction and operations in an ongoing role.

The UK’s Automated Ships Ltd and Norway’s Kongsberg Maritime have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build the world’s first unmanned and fully-automated vessel for offshore operations.

Competitive bidding for projects has driven global levelised costs of electricity from offshore wind down 22% to a benchmark estimate of $126 per megawatt-hour in H2 2016

This is AWS’s fifth renewable energy project globally and its second wind farm in Ohio / Amazon Wind Farm US Central 2 is expected to generate more than 530,000 MWh of energy annually, enough to power approximately 50,000 US homes per year

First Rotor Blade Set for Enercon's Low Wind Speed WEC E-141 Produced

Enercon's rotor blade manufacturer KTA successfully completed the production of the first set of outer rotor blades for Enercon's new E-141 EP4.

Due to poor market conditions in the oil and gas industry, increasing competition, the combination of price pressure and unfavourable contractual conditions in the wind energy market, and the somber prospects for the near future, Heerema Fabrication Group (HFG) has made the decision to implement a reorganization of the company.

Goldwind Americas Partners with Viridris Eolia LLC on 1,870 MW Wyoming Project

Agreement will represent Goldwind’s largest U.S. turbine order to date

Boralex Inc. confirms it will be exercising its option to acquire a 25% economic interest in the 230MW Niagara Region wind farm in which Enercon Canada Inc. is the majority owner. The signature of the Option was previously announced by the Corporation on June 8, 2015.

Fabrice Drommi, Machine Health Business Development for Renewable Energy, at SKF explains how their Remote Diagnostic Services can increase the operating efficiency of wind farms

The green energy wave in Africa

At a conference organised by Res4Africa, experts discussed the potential of renewable energy to promote the continent’s economic and population growth.

One factor that has caused exploding costs of the German energy transition in recent years is grid expansion. This is not about to change much in the coming years, as the existing grid is simply no longer sufficient to ensure a modern power supply for the country. But not only Germany has to deal with the grid problem, as a closer look to other countries shows.

Gamesa to supply 304 MW at five wind farms in India

The company has been contracted install a total of 152 of its G97-2.0 MW class S and G114-2.0 MW class S turbines, custom-designed for the low wind speed sites typical of India

Mainstream Renewable Capital established to raise capital for Mainstream’s existing multi-gigawatt project pipeline and future growth opportunities / Veteran Energy Banker and Investor James P. McGinnis hired as CEO of new business unit

RTS Wind trains new Quality Inspectors

Together with the ‘TÜV SÜD Akademie’, RTS is preparing staff members for upcoming projects.

VBMS recently executed the first export cable shore landing for the Galloper Offshore Wind Farm utilising its newly invented method for lowering the cable onto the seabed without the use of divers, wet riggers or support vessels. By using a remotely controlled progressive buoyancy release system, VBMS is able to increase safety and efficiency by eliminating time-consuming interfaces.

Alberta government announcements highlight of closing day of Canadian Wind Energy Association’s Annual Conference

Certainty, long-view policies and innovation key to investment and lower cost, higher-productivity grid integration

Specialist hydraulic bolt tensioning company Boltight is celebrating a successful first year as part of the Nord-Lock Group (Sweden). The company recently announced record annual sales, a growing order book and the opening of a brand new production facility.

GE Renewable Energy announced today the appointment of John Lavelle as CEO of its Offshore Wind business. The appointment is effective November 1. In this role, Lavelle will lead the global business strategy with the mission to become one of the top three players in the offshore wind industry globally.

Fukushima Community Power Declaration

— For the Future of the Earth —

In the home stretch of the election cycle, with political polls continuing to fluctuate, one thing has remained constant throughout the entire campaign: Americans agree they want more clean energy, and wind energy in particular.

The largest wind towers from Poland

A breakthrough investment of the Gda?sk Shipyard Group

Siemens to provide service and maintenance for an additional 10 years at the 343 MW Lower Snake River wind project in Washington State / Power Boost function and High Wind Ride Through® digital upgrades included to help increase power production and turbine availability

Mainstream Renewable Power will develop, build and operate, together with local and international developers, three wind projects with a combined capacity of approximately 940MW.

Dagmar Rehm Appointed Chief Financial Officer of juwi AG

As of 1 January 2017, 53-year-old economist will be succeeding Marcus Jentsch who is retiring from the managing board of the juwi AG at his own request.

Navigant has announced it has acquired Ecofys, an international consultancy based in Europe with a leading position in the fields of energy and sustainability.

The Concordia Group has recently delivered and commissioned a particularly innovative vessel. This particular heavy cargo "roll on/roll off" coaster is specifically designed for the efficient transportation of wind turbines parts.

WindEurope applauds Turkish wind ambition

WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson addressed the annual Turkish Wind Energy Congress in Ankara on 2 November.

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, has awarded Vattenfall with a final statement of compliance for its offshore accommodation platform.

BASF receives “Paint Supplier Innovation Award 2016” from ArcelorMittal

BASF’s Coatings division has received ArcelorMittal’s “Paint Supplier Innovation Award 2016” in the Aesthetics category.

Wind farms with a total output of 125.4 MW were either under construction, put into operation or sold / Wind Farm-Portfolio: Management plans sales transaction this year / EBIT climbs to euro 7.2 million

nkt cables has been awarded a contract by TenneT for delivery and installation of the export cable systems for Netherlands’ grid connection system Borssele Alpha together with an option for Borssele Beta, in a consortium with Boskalis’ subsidiary VBMS.

China’s 10-year outlook downgraded due to cutbacks in the national target of wind power in the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan and increasing curtailment impacting new grid-connected capacity.

In Alta Wind the government challenged the basis determinations under two distinct theories, both of which the Treasury Department has commonly used to justify reductions in Section 1603 grants.

Fortum has signed an agreement to aquire three wind power projects from the Norwegian company Nordkraft. The transaction consists of the Nygårdsfjellet wind farm, which is already operational, as well as the fully-permitted Ånstadblåheia and Sørfjord projects. Fortum and Nordkraft have also agreed on co-operating on the construction and operation of the wind farms.

Today’s announcement on the levels of UK Government support which will be offered to the renewable energy industry will leave developers and communities on the remote islands of Scotland ‘bitterly disappointed’ claim industry body, Scottish Renewables.

RenewableUK says today’s Government announcement of the next round of competitive auctions to support offshore wind will provide a boost for British industry.

Vattenfall has won the tender to build Danish Kriegers Flak, a 600 MW offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The winning bid was EUR 49.9 per MWh, which is among the lowest costs in the world for offshore wind power.

Gamesa continues to make inroads into the US market with a new contract for the supply of 99 MW

The company will supply G114-2.0 MW and G114-2.1 MW wind turbines for a wind farm located in the central United States.

During 2015-16 the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) helped to deliver a number of breakthroughs that have set Australia firmly on the road to a future where renewable energy is accessible, affordable and reliable.

World Wind Energy Award 2016 for 195 Countries who endorsed the Paris Agreement

Honorary Award for Extraordinary Personal Achievements for Izumi Ushiyama

Senvion, a leading global manufacturer of wind turbines, has recently concluded contracts totaling 56.1 megawatts (MW) for the Antilope wind power project in the Hauts de France region with renewable energy developer Eurowatt.

Consortium of VBMS B.V. and NKT Cables GmbH & Co. KG to supply and install subsea and land cables for Borssele Alpha project and optionally also for Borssele Beta project.

Yesterday, the world stared at the news as the unthinkable happened: Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Apart from Russia, Hungary, Germany's AFD and the FPÖ in Austria, worldwide reactions are unique: Shocked politicians, crashing stock exchanges, scenarios of Armageddon.

Targets in Q3/2016 reached / Sales up by 31 percent to over EUR 2.3 billion / 47 percent increase in EBITDA to EUR 204 million / Sales and earnings now expected at the lower end of the target range

AWEA statement on US election results

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released the following statement on the results of the 2016 presidential election:

Global blade access, repair and inspection specialist, Altitec, has been appointed official installation partner by the Renewable Energy Division at 3M, a global innovation company, to install its 3MTM Wind Vortex Generators.

Dynamic Policies Driving Renewable Energy Growth in Latin America

New IRENA report highlights region’s success, emerging trends and valuable insights for other countries

The American Wind Energy Association is ready to work with President-elect Donald Trump and his administration to assure that wind power continues to be a vibrant part of the U.S. economy.

The French government announced November 4, 2016 that it has selected the EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN) proposal to construct a pilot floating wind farm for its Provence Grand Large project.

Foundation installation completed on schedule at Rampion

Construction at Rampion has reached a significant milestone this week as installation of the 116 turbine foundations has been completed on schedule.

Yesterday, Skandia and Vattenfall inaugurated the joint wind farm Höge Väg in Kristianstad municipality. The partnership began in December 2014 when the companies set up a joint company with shared ownership of four wind farms.

For the second year running, the company has been awarded first place in the Top 100 Green Utilities list of Energy Intelligence, which evaluates companies according to their CO2 emissions and their installed renewable capacity / It continues to be the top company exclusively operating in renewables to head the ranking made by the US consultancy

The projects, which are starting in the municipality of Agüimes, will create about 175 jobs during the construction stage / The power company plans to invest close on 100 million euros to build 13 wind farms in Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura over the next two years

Donald J. Trump (R) was elected 45th President of the United States yesterday, a development that will likely change the way energy companies interact with regulators and the federal government.

Emission levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Beijing to be reduced by 2022 / BASF supports the wind energy sector with efficient and resource-conserving solutions

Senvion, a leading global manufacturer of wind turbines, has been selected by Nexif Energy as preferred supplier of the EPC contracts and maintenance agreements for the 25-turbine Glen Innes Wind Farm in New South Wales and the 59-turbine Lincoln Gap Wind Farm in South Australia. Combined, these projects will deliver over 300 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy to Australian consumers.

Rule codifies BLM’s Smart from the Start approach, establishes a robust framework for competitive leasing, and increases transparency and certainty

WKN sells second French wind project to John Laing

Construction of wind farm Saint Martin l’Ars already started

With the UN Climate Summit in Marrakesh starting its final week, all major non-state actor groups join forces, urging national governments to implement policies towards 100% Renewable Energy.

IRENA/ADFD Open Fifth Round of Funding for Renewable Energy Projects

USD 50 million available for scalable, replicable and transformative renewable energy projects in developing countries

Sequential Q3 revenues up 15.6 percent to EUR 584m, adjusted EBITDA margin of 10.3 percent / Market expansion and conversion of conditional orders as catalyst for future growth / On track to meet full year guidance of EUR 2.25-2.3bn

The REN Alliance, a coalition of five renewable energy associations, joined forces at COP22 in Marrakech to demonstrate how renewable technologies working together can meet energy needs at island, rural, city, national and regional levels.

Siem Offshore Contractors GmbH (SOC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Siem Offshore Inc., announced today that it has been awarded the contract for the turnkey supply and installation of the inner array grid cable system for the Trianel Windpark Borkum Phase II (TWB-II) offshore wind farm by Trianel Windkraftwerk Borkum II GmbH & Co. KG.

Vestas going strong in Down Under

The 30 MW order for Vestas V126-3.45 MW turbines was placed for the Kiata wind farm, a project in southeastern Australia developed by international wind energy company Windlab Limited.

Projects shortlisted for massive offshore wind research programme

€3mn fund dedicated to researching the environmental impact of offshore wind

In the framework of the Kriegers Flak Offshore Wind Farm, a 600 MW offshore wind farm in the Danish Baltic Sea, together with the Combined Grid Solution interconnector project, Energinet.dk and 50Hertz Transmission GmbH awarded the Joint Venture Iemants – Jan De Nul Group the EPCI contract for 2 Gravity Based Foundations (GBF).

Microsoft announces largest wind energy purchase to date

New investments further company's progress on commitment to creating a responsible cloud, greener grid.

will provide a broad range of offshore support services to Veja Mate. The services will start 01. November 2016 with the preparation of the foundations and transition pieces for the installation of the towers and turbines and has an initial term of 150 days.

Loeriesfontein Wind Farm has announced that it has completed the lifting of the first 30 of its 61 wind turbine generators (WTG). The wind farm is achieving an average of 2.5 WTG liftings per week, often with two simultaneous liftings underway.

Inventors of award-winning technology to prevent seabed scour on offshore projects could have the solution to sediment plumes from wind turbines discovered in new satellite images by NASA.

Just a short time after the market launch of the N117/3600, in September 2016 the Nordex Group received the first order from WIND-consult Measuring Company for a project with the new turbine for IEC-2 sites.

EBRD and Piraeus Bank boost renewable portfolio of Greece’s Terna Energy

€60 million financing builds on newly launched legal framework

Q4/2016 Global Wind Power Market Outlook Update

Politics in China and in North America alter global growth outlook negatively

The Plan includes €2 billion in investment in renewable energy by 2020 to attain 10,500 MW of installed capacity / The company will contribute to sustainable water management by expanding water supply and treatment services to reach 110 million people worldwide

St. Olaf celebrates carbon-free electrical power

As the construction of a large solar project on its land nears completion, St. Olaf College is celebrating the fact that its electrical energy usage will soon be carbon neutral.

OAS and ORE Catapult join forces to improve wind turbine control strategies

TurbineGRID simulation tool to be validated on 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine

LM Wind Power announces strategic collaboration with Chinese wind turbine manufacturer CSIC (China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation) HZ Windpower to deliver blades for its newly launched H151-5.0MW platform.

DONG Energy inaugurates Taiwan office

Yesterday, DONG Energy inaugurated its office in Taipei and shared its ambition to develop four offshore wind farms in the Changhua area.

The European Commission has found the new Greek support scheme for renewable electricity and high efficiency cogeneration to be in line with EU state aid rules. The scheme will help Greece to reduce CO2 emissions, in line with EU energy and climate goals, without unduly distorting competition.

New product milestone: Gamesa contracted to supply its largest turbines in China

The company will install 18 of its G132-5.0 MW turbines (90 MW) at a wind complex being developed by Sinohydro

Kriegers Flak project demonstrates rapidly falling costs for offshore wind

Vattenfall has won a tender to build the 600MW offshore Kriegers Flak project in Denmark for a new record price of €49.9/MWh.

With the historic Paris Agreement having recently entered into force, this year’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2017 confirms a boost for renewable energy and positive developments in energy efficiency. While these encouraging trends are happening on a global scale, the necessary energy revolution is still happening too slowly.

Whether it is a gentle breeze or a violent storm, with the ultrasound sensor u[sonic] everything revolves around the wind direction and speed. Wind speed can be measured up to 75 m/s, the measuring instrument itself does not move at all in this process.

WindEurope CEO underscores need for strong governance on EU’s 2030 package

The wind industry must engage with EU member states to ensure they set out ambitious plans for renewables after 2020, said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson.

Goldwind Announces New GW3S Smart Wind Turbine

3 MW platform offers customized product features for international markets

GM Makes its Largest Green Energy Purchase to Date

50 MW wind deal is equivalent to electricity needs of 16 GM sites and warehouses

EDF Renewable Energy and Otter Tail Power Company today announced the signing of an Asset Purchase Agreement by which EDF RE will construct the 150 megawatt (MW) Merricourt Wind Project. Upon completion, the wind project will be turned over to Otter Tail Power Company. The transaction closing is subject to conditions precedent.

Turbines in place at Lambs Hill wind farm site

Construction work on the final one of four turbines at a new wind farm on Teesside has been completed – and work on commissioning it is now well underway.

While fear of the new US president Donald Trump, along with his dubious attitude to climate change, continues to circulate the world, various US companies are underlining their support of the energy transition.

A majority in the Danish Parliament (Folketing) announced today that it will approve Danish Near Shore (DNS)* wind farms. This means that Vattenfall can proceed with plans to develop the 350 MW project off Denmark's west coast.

Wind farm represents a total investment of approx. £13.4million (c. €15.5million)and will generate sufficient renewable power to meet the electricity demand of over 5000 homes annually

Electricity has been generated for the first time at Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farm, a joint venture between DONG Energy (50%) and its partners PKA (25%) and KIRKBI A/S (25%).

Wind power blows away records in the Midwest and Texas

As strong and consistent breeze has descended down upon Texas and the Plains states.

Senvion acquires EUROS as next step of its product strategy

Rotor blade manufacturing, master plug and mould design company to augment in-house blade development and manufacturing

CanWEA Applauds Federal Government Action to Accelerate Decarbonization of Canada’s Electricity Supply

Announcement Makes Canada a More Attractive Destination for Wind Energy Investment

Deepwater Wind Plans Offshore Wind Farm to Serve Maryland

Skipjack Wind Farm Will Deliver Affordable Offshore Wind Energy Far Below State Estimates, Saving Ratepayers Millions of Dollars

This agreement, which is part of Eni’s strategy of developing renewable energy sources by leveraging the industrial and commercial synergies of its traditional activities, will help the company to pursue the progressive decarbonization of its energy mix.

Milestone for new offshore wind turbine manufacturing plant / Political leaders and company representatives on hand to celebrate / First suppliers establishing themselves locally

The New Development Bank (NDB) announced today that its Board of Directors (BoD) has approved two loans for projects in China and India - Putian Pinghai Bay Offshore Wind Power Project (RMB 2 bln) and Madhya Pradesh Major District Roads Project (USD 350 mln). The appraised projects were presented at the seventh BoD Meeting held in Shanghai.

At the Marrakech climate summit Russia's Federal Agency for Nuclear Power, Rosatom, announced that they intend to invest more than one billion Euros in the expansion of Russian wind power over the next four years.

Renewable energy accounts for 18% of primary energy consumption in the heating and cooling sector, WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson told the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Joint Undertaking yesterday.

Business in Finland continues to grow for Nordex: a major customer, ABO Wind, has ordered nine turbines from the 3 MW series with a rotor diameter of 131 metres through its Finnish subsidiary, ABO Wind Oy.

Vestas wins 65 MW order in Sweden

Long-term partner OX2 has placed an order for 18 V126-3.45 MW turbines with power optimised mode to 3.6 MW for the Högkölen wind power project in the Ljusdals municipality in eastern Sweden.

Lamprell, a leading provider of fabrication, engineering and contracting services to the energy industry, is pleased to announce that it has received a new contract award from ScottishPower Renewables for the fabrication of multiple jackets and piles for the East Anglia One Offshore Wind Farm.

Funds advised by Triton have signed an agreement to acquire a majority interest in DeepOcean Group Holding B.V., a leading provider of subsea services for the oil & gas and renewables industries. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction is expected to close around New Year 2017, subject to regulatory approval in the relevant jurisdictions.

ESB extends cooperation with Nordex in Ireland and UK

Irish utility orders 14 new turbines and renews Service contracts on four windfarms

A broad political coalition in the Danish parliament has made an agreement which secures the completion of the Danish near shore tender of 350 MW. The tender was won by Swedish utility Vattenfall in September and has been subject to big uncertainty since, as the Danish government has proposed to cancel the tender. An uncertainty that has now been eradicated.

Seaway Heavy Lifting has been awarded a contract by Trianel Windkraftwerk Borkum II GmbH & Co. KG. The scope of work consists of the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of the turbine foundations for the Trianel Windpark Borkum II wind farm on the German continental shelf.

Construction of first towers at Tormywheel

Construction of the first towers and nacelles have commenced at Muirhall Energy’s Tormywheel Wind Farm, south of Fauldhouse and Breich in West Lothian.

On 24th November, Iberdrola and Navantia have signed, in London, the contract for the construction of the electrical substation for the offshore wind farm East Anglia 1 (United Kingdom). The contract includes the construction of one module, its structure supports (Jacket) and the offshore support for the connection in the North Sea.

DNV GL certificates support Envision to enter international markets

A type certificate issued by an independent third party like DNV GL can act as door opener to international wind energy projects.

The EDP Renewables, ENGIE, Caisse des Dépôts, Eiffage/Principle Power and GE consortium’s floating wind farm pilot project in the Mediterranean has been selected by the Government of France.

RES to deliver O&M services to Blue Transmission's Walney 1 OFTO assets

RES has been awarded a five year contract to provide O&M services to offshore transmission assets owned by Blue Transmission Walney 1 Ltd.

TERNA ENERGY Issues a 60 million euro Bond Loan

Cooperation with EBRD – Piraeus Bank

The European Commission has approved a support scheme for installations producing renewable energy built in the Czech Republic between 2006 and 2012 under EU state aid rules. The Commission concluded the measure would further EU energy and climate goals without unduly distorting competition.

US Wind, Inc. Makes Case for Maryland Offshore Wind Project

Public Service Commission deems Maryland-based company's application administratively complete

Contract volume €273 million including a five-year maintenance agreement / Two converter stations at both ends of a 90 km underground cable with a capacity of 1000 MW / ALEGrO creates value for society: security of power supply, renewable energy and European market integration

The Nordex Group has received the first order for the installation of its second turbine introduced in September. The manufacturer will be setting up its light-wind N131/3600 turbine in December for GP Joule, a project developer.