News Archive April 2022

Foxwell orders Vestas offshore turbines for Vietnam

Vestas has secured a 295 MW order for thirty-one Vestas V174-9.5 MW wind turbines from Foxwell Energy for the TPC Offshore Wind Generation Project Phase 2 in Taiwan.

Marco Kuijpers, Director of Large Projects Offshore: "With the energization of the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha connection, the offshore grid that TenneT is building in the North Sea is starting to take shape."

The measurement campaign for the Global Blockage Effect in Offshore Wind project (OWA GloBE), a joint industry project organised within the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA), has been extended by four months.

The study results of the PhD show that feeding measurement data in a digital twin framework already in the design phase can reduce the amount of steel for one single structure with 50 tonnes.

Developer US Wind announced $11 million in funding over ten years to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) for three research projects aimed at understanding the potential effects of offshore wind development on marine mammals, fish, and birds.

Statkraft has a clear commitment to sustainability. The facility’s interest margin will be adjusted based on Statkraft’s performance on three pre-defined strategic sustainability targets on an annual basis.

Vestas and LM Wind Power form rotor blade partnership in Brazil

The partnership shows the increasing use of standardised components and shared manufacturing operations between OEMs.

WWEA Small Wind Section appoints new Chairs

The members of the section have welcomed having two co-chairs from different continents and backgrounds.

A wholly owned ENGIE affiliate is operating the Iron Star, Priddy and Hawtree projects pursuant to long term balance of plant operation and maintenance agreements with the project companies. Now equity and tax-equity financing is completed.

Under the new model coming into effect today, 1 April 2022, SSE Renewables will now operate under a new technology-based structure, with distinct directorates for Offshore and Onshore Europe.

Applications for East Anglia ONE North and East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarms were granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy last week.

Deutsche Windtechnik expands Gamesa service portfolio

For the first time, Deutsche Windtechnik has signed a contract to provide full maintenance for ten Gamesa G114 wind turbines.

Global Wind Report 2022 published

Record years for several regions - but it's still not enough.

Symposium 'Vibration of Wind Turbines'

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.

Vestas introduces V172-7.2 MW turbine platform

Intoducing the V172-7.2 MW, Vestas expands the advanced EnVentus platform offering enhanced performance in low to medium wind conditions.

SCADA International selected as supplier of new power trading software for Energi Danmark

Software provider SCADA International has been chosen by Energi Danmark to supply their new ETRM-system.

KM will be the supplier of the complete electrical system and the integrated control system for the WIV. The system will ensure optimal performance irrespective of weather conditions and sea states.

Leading classification society ClassNK issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the design of a floating offshore hydrogen production plant developed by Japan Offshore Design & Engineering platform Technology & Engineering Research Association (J-DeEP).

Green light for seabird study in Scotland

STRIX will carry out an extensive two-year operational study with cameras and radars installed on nine of Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm’s 54 wind turbines.

GE finds way to reduce wind turbine logistics and installation costs

GE Research has developed a cutting-edge AI/ML tool that could save the global wind industry billions of dollars in logistics costs over the next decade.

GE Renewable Energy announced today an agreement with Alfanar, a Saudi conglomerate with a global presence, to supply and install 15 wind turbines at a cluster of wind farms located near Miranda de Arga and Berbinzana municipalities in the Navarre region of Spain.

Statement on Ukraine

We prioritize the safety, security and sustainability of our employees, our customers and our communities worldwide. Accordingly, UL has made the decision to stop all work in Russia and Belarus.

“We need fresh ideas for the energy transition. Security of supply, climate protection and affordable energy always have to be considered together”, Dirk Stenkamp, Chairman of the Board of Management of the TÜV NORD AG, said.

Floating offshore wind in Spain?

Repsol and Ørsted explore the possibilities of a joint development of floating offshore wind farms off the coast of Spain.

The measures in the Renewable Energy Response Plan include increasing the amount of new renewable capacity which will be secured in this year’s auction for contracts to generate clean power.

The aircrafts will support crew transfer and hoisting at the South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms during construction.

600MW Monsoon Wind Farm finds turbine supplier

The 600 MW cross-border wind energy project between Lao PDR and Vietnam will be supplied with Envision wind turbines and become the largest wind farm in ASEAN.

First E-nacelle installed at customer's site

German turbine manufacturer ENERCON says goodbye to torpedo-shaped nacelles. Instead the first new E-nacelle was installed at a customer turbine.

In view of the war Russia is waging against Ukraine, the presentation of the latest IPCC report at the beginning of this week has almost gone unnoticed. UN Secretary-General António Guterres found clear words nevertheless. But it is also clear that the conflict in Ukraine is about nothing less than Europe's energy transition.

Next consortium for Spanish offshore wind formed

Equinor and Naturgy team up to explore offshore wind development in Spain. This development comes only days after Repsol and Ørsted did the same thing.

Trident Winds plans floating wind farm off the coast of Washington state

The Olympic Wind farm is planned to be sited 43 miles off the coast of the Olympic Peninsula on the U.S. west coast in the Pacific Ocean.

The aim of the new project – KoReNaRo for short – is to set up an economically feasible disposal strategy allowing as high a recycling quota as possible and thereby enabling a sustainable circular economy.

UK renewable energy industry welcomes new Energy Security Strategy

The Government has set a new ambition for 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, including up to 5GW of innovative floating wind projects - a world leading target.

DeepOcean acquires Installit

Installit is an engineering and technology company headquartered in Oslo, Norway.

H2Eco Award to be presented for the first time at HANNOVER MESSE 2022

Deutsche Messe and DWV announce new H2Eco Award.

Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) welcomes new UK Energy Security Strategy

The strategy envisages a fivefold increase in offshore wind capacity to 50GW by 2030, including a world-leading target of 5GW of floating wind.

The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) described the Energy Security Strategy as ‘wholly inadequate’, saying that the Government ‘failed to rise to the challenge facing the country’.

Germany's Easter Package to ramp up renewables expansion

Germany passes so-called 'Easter Package', the most profound series of changes to German energy policy since the introduction of competitive auctions in 2017.

SCADA International entered into an agreement to be acquired by funds advised by Magnesium Capital and will become part of Magnesium’s portfolio of service businesses that are enabling the Energy Transition.

Mexico has vast renewable energy sources

NREL’s Mexico Clean Energy Report concludes that, in light of this potential and the low cost of renewable energy generation, Mexico is ideally poised to become a clean energy powerhouse.

Osbit delivers pile gripper to Taiwan

Yunneng Wind Power received a new monopile gripper system from Osbit to install the Yunlin Offshore Wind Farm in Taiwan.

Sif and Pict Offshore sign MoU to integrate GUS system into Skybox

Sif signed a memorandum of understanding with Pict Offshore to integrate the Get Up Safe (GUS) system into its Skybox TP-less monopile foundation as standard.

GE to build substations for ReNew Power in India

The scheme in turn is part of the planned interstate-based evacuation infrastructure that will create 66.5 GW of renewable energy zones in India.

Fujitsu Australia signs PPA electricity from Sapphire Wind Farm

Fujitsu Australia today announced it has signed its PPA sourcing renewable energy through CWP Renewables’ Sapphire Wind Farm.

Europe needs to enhance transmission grids

Without grid enhancements Europe won’t reach its climate goals, a new study by Hitachi Energy and WindEurope says.

Lhyfe and wpd have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly establish and directly connect a facility for green hydrogen production to wpd's planned offshore wind farm, Storgrundet, in Söderhamn.

A new study by Crown Estate Scotland concludes that connecting offshore wind installations directly to oil and gas platforms would help decarbonisation of the energy sector.

Norway resumes onshore wind planning

After a three-year hiatus, it will soon be possible to build onshore wind farms in Norway again, the Energy Minister said last week.

Renewables main contributor for global power additions in 2021

Renewable energy continued to grow despite global uncertaintiesthrough increasing the share of renewable power by 9.1 per cent.

New Joint Venture for floating offshore wind in Greece

Hexicon and Greek company EAMAA have created a joint venture called Hexicon Power to push for the development of floating offshore wind in the Mediterranian Sea.

LiDAR buoy deployed at Baltyk I site

The RPS metocean team has successfully deployed one of our Floating LiDAR buoys in the Baltic Sea north of Poland.

OX2 to develop 500MW of onshore wind power in Estonia

OX2 has signed a cooperation agreement with TMV Green Oü to develop about 500 MW onshore wind projects in Estonia.

Nexans appoints new Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Nexans announces the appointment of Jean-Christophe Juillard as Deputy Chief Executive Officer

AkzoNobel and Microsoft team up

Scientists from both parties will co-develop what will effectively be a virtual laboratory. The aim is to conduct experiments using quantum computing and other Microsoft Azure cloud services.

Partner Country Portugal presents its most innovative companies with their technological solutions for clean-energy production to demonstrate to the global market the country's vast know-how and experience in the renewable electricity sector.

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) have signed a two-year partnership agreement to highlight the importance of safety, training and job creation to power wind energy development and the global energy transition

Next stage in delivering floating offshore wind in Scotland

Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy have signed option agreements on their two successful bids.

Wind Energy Ireland calls for more Government commitment

Wind Energy Ireland has called on the Irish Government to commit to building a fully decarbonised electricity system by 2035.

Fugro to deliver geotechnical site investigation in the Irish Sea

bp and EnBW have awarded Fugro a geotechnical site investigation contract for their new offshore wind farms, Morgan and Mona, located in the Irish Sea.

Small wind turbine used as battery charger

An Antaris small wind turbine has been installed in Germany to operate a field laboratory.

Windfair met Gracher's managing director Carl E. Hoestermann and their Senior Specialist Surety, Kai Grove, for an interview. Read the in-depth interview to find out why the wind industry will start to realize its true potential in the coming years.

End of March, the Finnish renewable energy investment and asset management platform Low Carbon placed an order with the Nordex Group for 29.5 MW in Finland. The order also includes a Premium Service contract for thirty years.

More wind and solar used in the U.S.

Each year, LLNL releases flow charts that illustrate the nation's consumption and use of energy.

UK presented new Energy Strategy

Last week the United Kingdom presented its new Energy Strategy which is heavily influenced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Construction start for first French offshore wind farm

Jan De Nul’s Offshore Jack-Up Installation Vessel Vole au vent has kicked off her mission on the Saint-Nazaire Wind Farm project in France.

OWA to launch 16 new renewable energy research projects

The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) is launching 16 new research and development (R&D) projects this year.

Colin Maciver, Head of Offshore Wind Development for Crown Estate Scotland, said, “Seventeen agreements are now in place to help deliver these offshore wind projects that are central to Scotland’s efforts to tackle the climate emergency, secure the UK’s energy supply, and generate billions of pounds of investment in Scotland.

PNE puts another wind farm for own portfolio into operation

In the German regional state of Brandenburg, the company has commissioned the Wahlsdorf wind farm with six wind turbines with a nominal output of 19.2 MW.

Deutsche Windtechnik hit by cyber attack

This is already the third attack on German companies of critical infrastructure in recent weeks.

UK needs onshore wind energy

Putting the brakes on onshore wind could cost consumers £125 on bills, the ECIU says.

Greek wind farm takes shape

Spanish energy company Iberdrola has begun construction of the 50.4-MW Askio III wind farm near Mount Askio in the Western Macedonia region of Greece.

Next Sunday, the runoff election for presidency between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will take place in France. Not only do the two differ significantly in their attitudes towards Europe, it will also be a directional election for the French energy transition.

TÜV Nord: no data stolen in cyber attack

According to current information, no customer or company data has been stolen or damaged during the attack.

Dutch energy and commodity trading company Vitol has agreed to acquire three operating wind farms in Pennsylvania totalling 244.4 MW from a fund managed by BlackRock, for an undisclosed sum.

More clean electricity for cement manufacturer OPTERRA

Statkraft supplies a further 300 GWh of green power

Port of Thorsminde to become offshore hub for Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm

RWE has selected Port of Thorsminde from which to carry out the operation and maintenance of its Thor Offshore Wind Farm.

Jan De Nul Group has signed a contract with Sumitomo Electric Industries for the installation of two subsea HVDC cables and one fibre optic cable that will link the existing electricity grids in Ireland and the UK.

Boralex and partners to develop three wind farms in Québec region

Boralex, Énergir and Hydro-Québec have announce to develop three wind projects of 400 MW each on the Seigneurie de Beaupré territory in Canada.

Eolus and Hydro REIN sell 75% of Swedish wind farm to MEAG

The 260 MW wind power project Stor-Skälsjön is due to be commissioned for autumn 2023.

RPS has been selected by bp and EnBW to complete the Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) for the development of the Morven Offshore Wind Farm off the Scottish coast.

“To decarbonise society, we need to be effective agents of change in the energy transition. We have set a clear direction to apply our experience, competence and the financial muscle from oil and gas to new value creating sectors of the energy system,” says Jon Erik Reinhardsen, Chair of the Board of Directors in Equinor.

Recycling carbon fibers

To reduce the CO2 footprint, the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV Augsburg research with a state-of-the-art wetlaid nonwoven machine for recycling carbon fibers.

This sale includes a pipeline of onshore wind projects with a total capacity of 3.9GW in various stages of development in Spain, France, Italy and Greece, with the possibility to develop up to 1GW of co-located photovoltaic projects.

GE Renewable Energy signs PPA to reduce carbon footprint in Europe

GE Renewable Energy has signed its first European Power Purchase Agreement from a new wind farm in Spain with its partner, Forestalia.

Vineyard Wind has today announced a new multi-year collaboration with the University of New Hampshire to deploy a Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) device to record ambient sound and marine mammal species vocalizations in its lease area.

Boskalis wins export cabling contract

The contract scope comprises ocean transportation of export cables with the use of in-house heavy transport vessels.

Greater Changhua 1 & 2a produces first power

Taiwan’s biggest offshore wind farm yet generates its first power, developer Ørsted said.

“Our first wind energy project solidifies our position as a company capable of developing different renewable technologies and adapting to the needs of customers in multiple markets across the globe,” said Alfredo Solar, general manager of Atlas Renewable Energy in Chile.

Belgium needs greater effort put into energy transition

Despite becoming a leading country in offshore wind energy, Belgium’s greenhouse emissions have declined only marginally in recent years.

Five key lessons from current energy crisis

The crisis caused by Russia’s War in Ukraine has highlighted the challenges for the global energy supply as the world tackles the threat of climate change.

Jan De Nul Group and Seiche Ltd have started trials for the development to collect the necessary data for testing and fine-tuning the A.I. capacity of the automated detection function and the visual distances these cameras can cover.

GE Renewable Energy today held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate a new research and development facility that will conduct research on how to 3D print the concrete base of towers used in wind turbines.

FERC’s proposed rule has the potential to accelerate backbone transmission development planning, ensure fair and consistent cost allocation, and provide a substantial role for states in planning transmission for the future.

Schaeffler: doubling of dividend approved

The shareholders of Schaeffler AG approved the dividend proposed by the Board of Managing Directors at today’s annual general meeting of the global automotive and industrial supplier.

Spanish energy company Iberdrola has acquired the rights to build one of the largest onshore wind farms in the world with 1,000 MW. The Mount James wind farm is located in North Queensland, Australia.

Vattenfall and BASF take part in Dutch offshore wind tender

The companies want to build offshore wind farms in the Hollandse Kust West cluster.

The inspectors from 8.2 Consulting AG are currently undertaking quality surveillance of the serial production of the Siemens Gamesa nacelles in Cuxhaven, Germany.

“The Philippines has a rapidly growing demand for power,” said DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi . “It is clear from this roadmap that offshore wind can play a major role in meeting our country’s energy demand indigenously, while also accelerating decarbonization.”

Jack-up vessel Thor added to Harren & Partner's fleet

The Harren & Partner Group's fleet is designed to provide full turnkey major component exchanges for the offshore wind industry.

UK-India offshore wind collaboration announced

Both country’s leading wind energy research and development centres today announced a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) to establish a five-year collaboration programme.

Eni's Plentitude announces investment in floating technology

Plenitude announced last week that it is to invest in EnerOcean, the Spanish developer of the W2Power technology for floating wind power.

A pair of animal tracking studies by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of East Anglia, UK, provide detailed GPS data on flight behavior of birds that are susceptible to collision with energy infrastructure.

Offshore wind capacity to thrive in Europe in 2022

Development is mostly driven by UK ambitions.

Rosslare Europort management has announced plans to establish the port, its hinterland and the south-east region as Ireland’s Offshore Renewable Energy Hub, with the potential to create up to 2,000 jobs.

News of the Day

Money makes the world go round: Wind energy is booming in deep-red Republican states in the U.S.

Aker Horizons and Statkraft sign collaboration for green hydrogen and ammonia production

The two companies plan to explore opportunities for green hydrogen and ammonia production in India and Brazil.

FOWIC will mobilize one of its special purpose-built jack-up installation vessels during the spring of 2023 to transport and installation the turbines for the Saint-Brieuc Offshore Wind farm.

Heerema Marine Contractors awarded contract for German offshore wind farm

Heerema Marine Contractors has been awarded a contract for the transport and installation of the foundations of the He Dreiht offshore wind farm.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $12 million for six new research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that will develop innovative cybersecurity technology to help ensure energy delivery systems are designed, installed, operated, and maintained to survive and recover quickly from cyberattacks.

Scatec refinances onshore wind farm in Vietnam

Refinancing Scatec achieved improved project return through a reduced interest margin and a covenant relief which allows for an immediate cash distribution of USD 6 million.

Robot crawling wind turbines for inspection

A six-legged robot has shown how it can inspect wind turbine bolts autonomously in a first of its kind demonstration.

Nexans has won a contract with ERG for four onshore wind farms in Sicily (143 MW) which they will supply with a full solution including cables, accessories, engineering services and ULTRACKER digital solution.

With a symbolic turn of the sod founder Michael Matjeschk and managing director Carmen Hebestreit have started together with the M-PT team the construction of a new facility. The expansion is necessary, because there is no longer enough space for production and offices.

Statkraft signs wind power PPA with Solvay

Solvay will purchase electricity produced by the Pajuperankangas wind farm.

NKT finishes power cable system for Hornsea 2 OWF

NKT has commissioned the 220 kV HVAC power cable system for the Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm which will be the world's largest wind farm once fully commissioned.

The Hollandse Kust (west) tenders are for the award of permits to develop the two individual 700MW sites within the Hollandse Kust (west) Zone located approximately 53km off the Dutch coast and close in May.

The Danish Energy Agency approved the preliminary study report for the Frederikshavn offshore wind farm, which consists of an environmental impact report.

Watson Farley & Williams advises lenders on financing of Dutch offshore wind farm

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised a consortium of international lenders on the financing of BASF’s stake in the Hollandse Kust Zuid.

Wind farms bringing benefits to communities

Wind farms bring benefits to communities. On average each new wind turbine generates €10m of economic activity. Much of this money stays where the wind farm is built.

GE Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr.: "We're holding the outlook range we shared in January, but as we continue to work through inflation and other evolving pressures, we're currently trending toward the low end of the range."

Hackers attacking energy transition

In recent weeks, cyberattacks against German wind industry companies have significantly increased. A connection with Russia's war against Ukraine is likely.

Gazelle Wind Power has signed a MOU with Vienna Consulting Engineers for the 2MW floating wind pilot plant at Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN).

The Department of the Interior today announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will publish two separate Calls for Information and Nominations for possible leasing in areas that are determined to be suitable off the coast of Oregon and in the Central Atlantic.

Navantia creates British subsidiary for offshore wind

Navantia UK is a step forward in Navantia’s support of the UK National Shipbuilding Strategy and Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

Ørsted takes final investment decision on Sunflower Wind in Kansas

The 201 MW onshore wind project was acquired together with Lincoln Land Wind last year.

Axpo to invest in renewable energy in Switzerland

Wind farms produce about two thirds of their electricity volume in the winter half-year – in other words, when power is especially needed. That's why Axpo buys several wind farms.

The region’s energy crises, a series of major market disruptions starting with Covid-19 and culminating in the Ukraine war, have pushed average forward prices up 103% since BNEF’s last survey.