News Archive February 2022

Statkraft and Nestlé sign PPA for wind power in Germany

As part of the contract, Statkraft will supply 54.4 GWh of wind power annually in the period from January 2022 to December 2023 from six of its own wind farms.

Norwegian Edda Wind orders three more CSOVs

The vessels are specially designed for service operations during the commissioning and operation of offshore wind farms.

The projects bring together leading academic institutes, industry partners, and not-for-profits to tackle key areas in our national efforts to transition to a low carbon society.

Queensland welcomes arrival of wind turbine components

The Government of Queensland, Australia, has welcomed the rotor blades for the $373 million Kaban Green Power Hub at the Port of Cairns.

The Planner, constructor and operator of the wind farms which have a capacity of 45 MW in total is the Danish green energy developer European Energy.

Deutsche Windtechnik wins full-service contract in Poland

The Polish subsidiary of Deutsche Windtechnik has signed a 15-year contract to provide full-services to the Scieki wind farm.

Newly opened hydrogen refuelling stations reaches new record

In 2021, 142 hydrogen refuelling stations went into operation worldwide, again more than ever before.

wpd windmanager to become commercial and technical manager of Teltow II wind farm

On January 1, 2022, wpd windmanager GmbH & Co. KG takes over the management of the wind farm Teltow II.

RODA (Responsible Offshore Development Alliance), a coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies, filed suit today challenging the Interior Department’s approval of a massive offshore wind project to be constructed on a 65,000-acre tract in federal waters south of Martha’s Vineyard.

The Symposium Vibration of Wind Turbines, which will take place on May 5 and 6, 2022 in Hamburg, covers the complete spectrum of vibrations of wind turbines and includes an interesting session about the mechanism of noise generation and its reduction.

Project to decarbonize electrical offshore substations launched

This concept, named SeeOs+H2, replaces conventional Diesel back-up generators.

WindEurope: Harsh criticism for Italy's "messy permitting"

Getting a permit for an onshore wind farm now takes on average five years because of structural bottlenecks.

Project Catalina is a green hydrogen and green ammonia GW-scale project that aims to bring the renewable resources of the Spanish Aragon region to the industrial consumption points on the eastern coast of Spain.

Turbine supplier chosen for Ballykeel wind farm

ENERCON announced today that it has entered into a Turbine Supply Agreement (TSA) with renewable energy company Ørsted. U

US Senator Joe Manchin (West Virginia) may be a member of the Democrats, but his election campaign is - among others - financed by the coal industry. His persistent veto of Joe Biden's 'Build Back Better' infrastructure package has kept US politics on tenterhooks for months. Has Manchin thus destroyed the president's domestic agenda?

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Prysmian Group announce that they have finalised financing of €135 million intended to support the Group’s 2021-2024 R&D plans in Europe.

Vattenfall paints rotor blades black

Vattenfall has announced to paint one of the turbine blades of seven wind turbines in Dutch Eemshaven black.

GE selected for two R&D awards to tackle key challenges in emerging US offshore wind industry

The R&D projects will focus on the production of large castings and autonomous inspection of turbines.

Jan De Nul Group has ordered Maritime Robotic's Mariner Unmanned Surface Vehicle

The USV will be deployed for worldwide hydrographical and environmental surveys on marine and offshore construction projects.

Siemens Gamesa fires CEO Andreas Nauen

Jochen Eickholt, Siemens Energy executive, appointed new CEO effective March 1.

Agder Energi and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) have formed a partnership to bid for a floating offshore wind project at Utsira Nord, in the Norwegian North Sea.

Larger offshore wind turbines require stronger cranes on installation vessels to lift heavier materials higher, and only a handful of purpose-built vessels available worldwide can install 10 MW+ turbines. This will lead to bottlenecks in the coming years.

Coasta Rica started to finance studies to identify the potential of offshore wind energy, the challenges, risks and opportunities in the development, installation, and operation of offshore wind farms in the near future.

BloombergNEF: Record year for PPAs

Corporations bought a record 31.1 GW of clean energy through PPAs in 2021, up nearly 24% from the previous year’s record of 25.1GW according to research firm BloombergNEF.

US study: jet streams influence wind turbines

According to the study jet streams do occur low enough to reach wind turbine rotor planes at planned wind farms offshore from the U.S. East Coast.

Umicore signs two PPAs with ENGIE and Axpo

Both contracts started in January of this year and will mainly serve Umicore’s plant in Hoboken and the site in Olen.

Sweden: 8.2 Group continues growth

The company Jemtergi AB has been working together successfully with the 8.2 Group and now becomes part of the company.

New wind farm for Sicily

EDP Renewables has been awarded 39MW of wind power in the seventh auction called by the Italian government. The new wind farm will be located in Sicily.

ORE Catapult has simultaneously broken ground at its National Renewable Energy Centre and an additive manufacturing cell that will be used to research next-generation wind turbine blades.

Ridgeway's Rockbags unit set for growth in the coming years

The so called ‘Rockbags’ are mainly used for protecting underwater cables and pipelines, as well as stabilising structures.

Actis and Mainstream sell wind portfolio in Chile

Their joint ventur Aela now produces 332 MW of clean energy, which it sells via two PPAs with 25 Chilean distribution companies.

Schaeffler presents its new assembly tool HEATER

Schaeffler has now launched HEATER-BASIC and HEATER-SMART, a wide range of induction heating devices that focus precisely on the respective application needs of the fitters.

Sapura Energy cancels Yunlin offshore wind project

Sapura Energy issues Notice of Termination for Yunlin Project citing material breach of contract.

GE Renewable Energy celebrates new factory in India

The site in Vallam, near Chennai, will manufacture the FLEXINVERTER and FLEXRESERVOIR products

Blueshore provides commercial, technical and financial asset management services for solar and wind energy assets alongside the provision of portfolio management services to investors in the Australian market.

The new vessels’ capabilities will rely on ABB’s integrated automation, power and electric propulsion systems, including closed-ring and closed-bus solutions.

First German OWF to be equipped with ADLS

In the second half of 2021, Deutsche Windtechnik had already installed the ADLS on two wind turbines at the Nordergründe OWF and began performing tests. Now the whole OWF will follow.

Morocco currently aims to increase the share of renewables in its total power capacity to 52% by 2030 - and the country is well on track to achieve its 2030 renewable capacity target and will thus reduce its reliance on thermal sources such as coal and oil.

Offshore Wind helps to stabilize UK grid

Britain's National Grid ESO has awarded a contract to the Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm to help keep voltage levels in the power network stable.

ABO Wind to build 86 MW wind farm independently

The Finnish wind farm Pajuperänkangas is scheduled to be connected to the grid in summer 2023.

Vattenfall and Seagust form joint venture

The joint venture plans to bid for offshore wind areas in Norway’s upcoming licensing rounds.

First cross-border wind farm between Mexico and the U.S. inaugurated

The Phase II expansion of the Energía Sierra Juárez Wind Farm added 26 new wind turbines with a total incremental capacity of 108 MW.

VALOREM secures financing of Finnish wind farm

The Matkussaari wind farm will be built for an installed capacity of 148.5 MW and a planned total investment of €195M.

A new study shows that the climate pledges of 25 of the world's largest companies actually only lead to a reduction of their emissions by an average of 40%, not 100%, as their statements of "net zero" and "carbon neutrality" suggest.

After the White House held a roundtable with CEOs of electric utilities to discuss the President’s Build Back Better agenda, American Clean Power Association (ACP) CEO Heather Zichal issued a statement.

India's Gujarat region commissions its first wind-solar hybrid

The first phase of the hybrid project, with 17.6 MW commercial-scale wind-solar, commenced operations last week.

TenneT provides update on damaged offshore wind platform

TenneT provides photos of the damage to HKZ Beta platform jacket in the Netherlands.

Ireland: New record in generated wind energy

National grid operator EirGrid announced stormy weather over the weekend has resulted in a new all-island wind energy record.

Flender acquires wind turbine gearbox manufacturer Moventas

German drive specialist Flender has reached an agreement to acquire Finnish wind turbine gearbox manufacturer Moventas from investor N4 partners.

UK ramps up Contracts for Difference auctions schedule

The announcement will see the frequency of auctions for funding through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme change to every year rather than every 2 years.

Eni joins Dogger Bank C developers partnership

SSE Renewables sells a 10% interest in Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm to Eni.

With wind energy alone pushing ambitious targets which could see its capacity increase by 231% by 2030, “the potential future pipeline in Scotland has never been stronger”, Scottish Renewables’ Chief Executive Claire Mack has said.

Rystad Energy: construction of utility-scale projects may face slowdown

Utility-scale renewable capacity additions are expected to increase by 38 GW in 2022 compared with last year, but there are dark clouds looming on the horizon.

8.2 Group welcomes new member 8.2 digital solutions GmbH

In cooperation with 8.2 QHSE GmbH & Co. KG, 8.2 digital solutions GmbH shapes company workflows in order to help meet operator obligations (such as instruction and training).

South Fork Wind: Final Investment Decision taken

Ørsted and Eversource's joint venture gives the green light to New York’s South Fork Wind Offshore Windfarm

Vattenfall has been awarded planning consent for its Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm in a major boost to the UK Government's plans to deploy 40GW of offshore wind by 2030.

The turbines are located in County Donegal in the Northwest of the Republic of Ireland. This location benefits from excellent wind resources with average wind speeds of more than 8 metres per second.

'Project Gemini' entails the split of Naturgy’s current businesses into two large listed groups that will maintain the current shareholder composition and will be among the top twenty companies on the Ibex by market capitalisation.

Green Genius to buy wind farm in Lithuania

The project will be implemented without state subsidies, and the company will directly invest over €100 million in this project.

RWE chooses Bureau Technical Services for Sofia Offshore Wind Farm

Bureau Technical Services will provide services to support the offshore wind farm with Quality and Inspection services activity.

TÜV SÜD and Tractebel DOC collaborate in offshore wind energy

Both partners will bring their special strengths to the venture to win new projects in new markets and new customers in established markets.

PNE signs 11 PPAs

Markus Lesser, CEO of PNE AG: "The conclusion of these PPAs is a great success for all parties involved."

News of the Day

Engineers are building 'blade bridges' around the world. The idea: repurposing old wind turbine blades for infrastructure projects.

ACP Q4 Report: U.S. surpasses 200 gigawatts of total clean power capacity

2021 was a record year for clean energy procurement, with 28 GW of power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed in 2021.

HANNOVER MESSE opens its stages

HANNOVER MESSE's Call for Papers is open

H2opZee is a demonstration project which aims at building 300 to 500 megawatts (MW) electrolyzer capacity far out in the Dutch North Sea, in order to produce green hydrogen by using offshore wind.

TenneT awards contract for BorWin6 Converter Platform to McDermott

The project is for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of an HVDC offshore converter platform.

TotalEnergies and Semar to develop Honeymooring solution for floating offshore wind

The mooring solution is expected to reduce the development costs of offshore wind projects.

Cooperation signed between API and MLT

The partnership focuses on 3D Measurement Systems in Finland and Norway.

Australian University powered by wind energy

The Charles Sturt University in Australia has signed a contract with Iberdrola to supply 100% renewable energy to its campuses, sourced from the Bodangora Wind Farm.

Experts have predicted right from the start of the COVID pandemic that the pandemic-related drop in electricity demand in 2020 would not be long-lasting. Although there was hope initially that there might be a rethink and some targeted promotion of climate-neutral industries by politics and business, two years later not much is left of this idea.

Iberdrola annouces large investment in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, Iberdrola is developing 2,800 MW of offshore wind in three different projects.

SSE Renewables: Ireland needs ambitious offshore wind strategy

SSE Renewables has called on the Irish Government to increase its 2030 offshore wind energy ambitions to help address the climate crisis.

Statkraft has a solid financial foundation to deliver on the growth strategy. The project pipeline continues to increase and Statkraft is on track to deliver on the target of developing 9 GW of renewable energy by 2025, followed by an annual development rate of 2.5-3 GW per year.

DP Energy and Iberdrola have appointed Royal HaskoningDHV together with Mott MacDonald to produce the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the offshore wind project.

Finalisation of the plans for the US localisation of the production footprint of submarine cables also entails confirmation of the award of the projects for cabling the Commonwealth Wind and Park Wind City offshore wind projects.

Borealis signs PPA with Fortum for its European business units

Borealis and Fortum have signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for two Finnish onshore wind farms.

WFO Report: China's offshore wind growth makes 2021 a record year

Globally, a record 15,666 MW of offshore wind capacity went into operation during 2021 compared to 5,206 MW in 2020.

Tower manufacturer Windar renovables builds production site in Poland

Work on the 80m € project is scheduled to begin this year. With operations start the plant will employ 450 workers.

Fugro will be mobilising multiple vessels to combat challenging ground conditions and deliver large volumes of geo-data for Hornsea Three and Hornsea Four.

Report: transformational year for US offshore industry

The Business Network for Offshore Wind has released its annual U.S. Offshore Wind Market Report & Insights.

RWE and Tata Power to collaborate for offshore wind development in India

India is an unexplored and highly attractive market to develop opportunities for offshore wind as it has a large coastline of about 7,600 kilometres.

Tenaris plans to invest $190 million for the construction of a wind farm located in Adolfo Gonzales Chaves, in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to reduce its carbon footprint.

US offshore wind pipeline crosses 30 gigawatts

According to an S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis, the US offshore wind pipeline continues to grow beyond 30 GW.

China’s need to meet soaring power demand coupled with ambition to reduce its dependence on coal and gas have given local manufacturers the incentive to grow big. This poses a threat to western markets.

ACCIONA Energía to build first wind farm in Peru

The energy company currently plans the construction of a 131.1 MW wind farm in San Juan de Marcona, in the Ica region.

AkzoNobel to scale-up in-house production of resins

Resins are a key ingredient for making coatings. They’re used as a binder to hold the pigment particles together and provide adhesion to the coated surface.

Netherlands-based Seawind has developed proprietary two-bladed floating wind turbines integrated with a concrete floating structure suitable for installation in all seas, including cyclonic regions and ultra-deep waters.

London Array finds new O&M provider

Over the past year a tender process has been conducted to explore if there was a more efficient way to deliver the range of O&M services needed at London Array Offshore Wind Farm.

Although the Government of Norway has announced plans for the country's first offshore wind auction, the industry is disappointed by the decision to auction off only parts of the area for the moment.

“2021 earnings illustrate our perfect alignment with our 10-year industrial view, named “New Nexans”, presented in November 2018 and for which we have closed the first chapter," Christopher Guérin, Nexans’ Chief Executive Officer, said.

Roxtec's role in the energy transition

Roxtec cable and pipe transits are are used in a variety of occasions - from solar plants and wind farms to long-distance HVDC and grid projects.

Demag expands its DCBS chain hoist series

Until now, the DCBS has enabled users to handle loads weighing up to 160 kg easily and safely. The range is now being expanded to a load capacity of 250 kg.

Majority of Scottish People support renewable energy

70% of voters said that they voted for a party they expected to build more renewable energy in Scotland in the last election.

The GWEC and BVG Associates have recently published a report which highlights the vast and largely untapped socioeconomic and environmental opportunities which could be unlocked by wind energy in a group of developing economies from 2022-2026.

Finnish investment company Korkia to create new green fund

Korkia has launched a new private equity fund investing in renewable energy project development companies mainly in Europe.

Currently, there is a shortage of specialised heavy-lift vessels needed to install the increasing number of larger, next-generation wind turbines. Ulstein wants to fill ths gap with their new vessels.

Deepsea Semi™ floating wind foundation wins DNV's Approval in Principle

The Deepsea Semi™ foundation is dimensioned for wind turbine generators up to 15MW and is optimised for low cost, industrial mass-production.

The developers of the planned offshore wind farms Equinor and Polenergia have chosen a preferred supplier of wind turbines for the MFW Baltyk II and MFW Baltyk III projects. The choice fell on the German-Spanish turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa.

OX2 applies for permission to build Triton offshore wind farm in southern Sweden

OX2 has submitted a permit application to build an offshore wind farm in the Swedish Economic Zone off the coast of Skåne in southern Sweden.

Eyes of the world are currently on Ukraine, where Russia has been building up a threat scenario over the past few months that esclated on Thursday. The consequences would be serious, already to be seen on the energy market.

TenneT will be constructing three offshore grid connections (BalWin1, BalWin2 and BalWin3) in the North Sea off the German coast. The company is now launching the tendering procedures for the sea and land stations for these grid connection systems.

Portugal an important partner for Germany

Portugal is Partner Country at HANNOVER MESSE 2022, where it presents itself as an international technology center that is open to foreign investment.

Maersk Supply Service wins Floating Wind contract for Saitec Offshore DemoSATH

Maersk Supply Service has been awarded the contract for the the mooring system installation of the Saitec Offshore DemoSATH floating wind project.

New DNV research looks ahead on energy transition

Skills shortages are the greatest barrier to growth for the energy industry, followed by a lack of policy support.

How do offshore wind turbines behave in icy water?

Scientiests try to understand the fundamentals of what happens when turbines meet ice which could finally bring offshore wind farms into chillier waters.

WindEurope critizises President Macron's onshore plans

With the upcoming election in mind, French President Emmanuel Macron recently presented his vision for the country’s path to carbon neutrality by 2050.

Romanian Government undermine the country’s electricity market

Three newly imtroduced measures combined put a heavy financial strain on the entire (non-hydro) electricity supply chain in Romania.

German developer wpd not for sale

wpd denies sales reports, speaks of misinformation.

ABO Wind and John Brazil, 27.5 percent minority shareholder of the SPV, have sold the Irish project Clogheravaddy Wind Farm Ltd to Luxembourg Encavis Infrastructure Fund IV, an alternative investment fund catering to credit institutions.

UK Government supports offshore energy storage system

Funding has been awarded as part of the Longer Duration Energy Storage (LODES) Competition by Subsea 7 and FLASC.

Vattenfall: No more Russian nuclear fuel

Vattenfall stops deliveries of nuclear fuel from Russia to Vattenfall's nuclear power plants.

bp cuts Russian ties

bp will exit its 19.75% shareholding in Rosneft with immediate effect after Russia invades Ukraine.

The Department of the Interior today announced the results of the nation’s highest-grossing competitive offshore energy lease sale in history, including oil and gas lease sales, with the New York Bight offshore wind sale.

Ørsted statement on the Ukraine-Russia conflict

Ørsted stops doing business with Russia.

Europe isn't building enough new wind turbines to meet its energy and climate targets, according to European wind energy association WindEurope. It's approval procedures mainly that delay expansion.

EnBW to quit US offshore business

The Germany energy company wants to focus on the European offshore market instead.

The next step for RWE to fully meet requirements is to engage in community outreach with local tribes, the fishing industry and other ocean users; engage with the domestic supply chain to create new local jobs and private investments; and also enter into project labour agreements to pay laborers at prevailing wage rates.

The Nordex Group has informed the workforce at the rotor blade production facility in Rostock, Germany, of its intention to discontinue production at this site at the end of June 2022. This will affect 600 jobs.