In September Siemens signed a reservation agreement with Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd. (GGOWL) for the construction of the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the British coast.

The agreement, by far the largest ever reached for offshore wind turbines, involves 140 Siemens 3.6-MW turbines for delivery in 2009 and 2010.

Once connected to the power grid, the Greater Gabbard Offshore wind farm, located 25 km off the coast of Suffolk in the Outer Thames estuary, will produce green electricity with a maximum capacity of more than 500 MW. It will be the first UK offshore wind farm to be built outside territorial waters and will provide power for more than 415,000 homes.

Since the acquisition of Danish wind-turbine manufacturer Bonus Energy at the end of 2004, the Siemens wind business has been growing rapidly. The total employee headcount of the Siemens Wind Division has quadrupled to more than 3,200 employees worldwide today. The number of its wind turbine installations has tripled since 2004. In 2007 Siemens expects to install 1,500 MW of new capacity worldwide, of which 200 MW will be offshore.

Offshore wind energy plays a key role in the Siemens strategy and the company can look back on many years of experience within this sector. In 1991, the first offshore wind farm in the world was installed by Siemens in Denmark. The 165 MW Nysted wind farm, erected by Siemens in the Baltic Sea in Denmark in 2003, is still the largest offshore wind farm in the world.

In the future the importance of offshore wind power will increase even more for Siemens. In 2007 alone, the company is realising two major offshore projects. In July, Siemens successfully completed installation of 25 wind turbines for the Burbo Offshore Wind Farm in Liverpool Bay. The turbines, with a capacity of 3.6 MW each, were erected in less than 1.5 months, well ahead of schedule. Commercial operation will commence at the end of the year.

The Burbo Offshore Wind Farm has a total capacity of 90 MW and will be operated by SeaScape Energy Ltd., a company owned by the Danish utility DONG energy A/S.

Burbo is the first offshore project using the Siemens SWT-3.6-107 turbine, the largest serial wind turbine available on the market for offshore applications.

The SWT-3.6-107 was specifically designed for offshore applications, but works equally well onshore. A rugged, conservative structural design, automatic lubrication systems with ample supplies, climate control of the internal environment, and a simple generator system without slip rings provide maximum reliability with long service intervals.

Power conversion is implemented with Siemens’ NetConverter system, ensuring compliance with all relevant grid codes and offering high flexibility in the turbine response to voltage and frequency control, fault ride-through and output adjustment.

The 52m blades are made of fibreglass-reinforced epoxy in Siemens’ proprietary IntergalBlade manufacturing process. In this process, the blades are cast in one piece, leaving no weak points at glue joints and providing optimum quality. Major components, such as the rotor hub, the main shaft, the gearbox and the yaw system are all of particularly heavy dimensions and the safety systems are fail-safe.

The installation of the Siemens 3.6-MW wind turbines at the Burbo Offshore Wind Farm was not only a technical but also a logistical challenge. For onshore operations, Siemens leased a 45,000 square-metre area in the Port of Mostyn, located in North Wales.

The 65 m high steel towers of the wind turbines were assembled upright and all internal and electrical systems were tested before they were loaded onto the installation vessel. The purpose-built vessel carried towers, nacelles, hubs and blades for three turbines per trip to the site area, which is located approximately 12kms from shore. At the site, each wind turbine was erected in five heavy lifts with a maximum weight of approximately 185 tons. The average erection time per turbine, weighing almost 500 tons each, was less than half a day.

The Burbo Wind Farm is the first in a series of offshore projects to be built by Siemens. In August, erection of 48 turbines of the SWT-2.3-93 type commenced offshore at Lillgrund near the Swedish city of Malm�. With a capacity of 110 MW, this will be the largest wind farm in Sweden. The Lillgrund project will be operated by the utility company Vattenfall.

In 2008, Siemens will start erection of the Lynn and Inner Dowsing Offshore Wind Farm on the East Coast of Great Britain. The project comprises 54 SWT-3.6-107 wind turbines and will have a maximum capacity of 180 MW. The wind farm will be operated by the British gas provider Centrica. Once finalised, the Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farm will be the largest offshore project in the world - until the Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm goes into operation two years later.

In 2009, Siemens will also install and commission 25 of its STW-3.6-107 type turbines for the Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm off the Welsh Coast. The customer is RWE npower plc, the UK arm of RWE AG.

source: Engineer Live

Tags: Siemens, Greater Gabbard, wind farm

Finavera Renewables Inc. has signed an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to acquire a 20 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Germany, subject to completion of a final purchase and sale agreement and due diligence. The wind farm project is currently under construction and is expected to reach commercial operation in December 2007.

Finavera Renewables CEO Jason Bak said, “This opportunity is an important milestone in the development of our Company as we grow from a project developer to an owner-operator and asset manager. This project is already under construction and is anticipated to generate clean, green electricity by the end of this year.”

“Detailed due diligence thus far has made us aware of several factors that make this project very attractive: it has a two tranche debt financing package offered by a major German lender, there is a guaranteed power sales agreement until 2027, and it provides the company with the opportunity for near-term revenue,” added Bak.

Key project highlights include:

�EUR� A Feed-in Tariff power sales agreement providing long term
predictable cash flow as the German Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (”EEG”) guarantees a sales price of EUR 0.0819 cents per kWh fed into the grid until 2027.

�EUR� The Project has an estimated electricity yield of 38,550,000 kWh at
P50 levels.

�EUR� The Project will utilize ten proven 2MW turbines, under
warranty by the manufacturer and subject to a 12-year maintenance agreement with the same German turbine manufacturer.

�EUR� The Project Vendor is a leading developer in the German wind energy
sector and is responsible for the installation and operation of more than 50 MW of wind projects.

Bak concluded, “This acquisition strategy represents the next stage in the corporate development of our company… Generated profits can then be reinvested in achieving key wind project milestones and the development of our AquaBuOY wave energy technology.”

source: Renewable Energy Access

Tags : Finavera, wind farm, AquaBuOY,

German utility E.On AG said Tuesday it is buying Energi E2 Renovables Ibericas, which operates wind farms in Spain and Portugal, from Denmark’s DONG Energy in a deal worth �,�722 million (US$997 million).

E.On said E2 currently has a generating capacity in Spain and Portugal of about 260 megawatts, mostly from wind farms but also including smaller hydroelectric and biomass plants.

It has further wind farms with an extra capacity of 560 megawatts planned for completion in the next four years.

The deal’s total value includes �,�256 million (US$354 million) in net debt to be assumed by E.On, the Duesseldorf-based company said.

“Energi E2 Renovables Ibericas ideally supplements our future activities in Spain,” Chief Executive Wulf Bernotat said. “Wind power will play an important role in our future energy mix.”

On Monday, E.On won European Union approval to buy Spanish power utility Viesgo from Enel SpA and acquire additional generation capacity from Endesa SA, making it the fourth-largest player on the Spanish power market.

source: International Herald Tribune

Tags : E.ON, wind farm

German-based energy company E.ON is planning to build a massive windfarm off the Yorkshire coast.

The company says that the windfarm could have as many as 83 turbines, which will be around 410 feet high and visible from the Holderness coast. However, there is dismay among fishermen as they say that the windfarm will be located in one of the top shellfish areas - with boats from Bridlington and Withernsea and Hornsea fishing in the area.

Government regulations state that wind farms must have a 50 metre safety zone around them, which would mean Yorkshire fishermen being unable to fish in some of the most productive areas.

The Humber Gateway development will be located five miles off Easington and only eight miles from another proposed offshore wind farm - Westernmost Rough. This could mean that two fishing areas will be off-limits to local fishermen.
Fishermens�EUR(TM) representatives have condemned the plan, saying they are disgusted that no one had consulted them over the plans and that those who would be most affected were always the last to find out.

Only last year the fishermen of East Yorkshire suffered their equipment being damaged by illegal French fishing. This is another blow to a traditional industry of the Yorkshire coast.

source: British National Party

Tag: E.ON, windfarm, Humber Gateway

EDF Energies Nouvelles said it has begun first phase construction of one of Europe’s largest offshore wind farms in Zeebrugge, Belgium, in conjunction with its Belgian C-Power consortium partners.

© C-Power

In a statement, the energy group said the first future wind farm is likely to have 60 wind turbines with a maximum capacity of 300 MW. The wind farm is expected to supply about 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, about one third of Belgium�EUR(TM)s renewable energy target in 2010.

The project will be built under three turn-key contracts:

- REpower, a turbine manufacturer, will supply the wind turbines and perform the operations and maintenance services,
- Dredging International, the Vinci group�EUR(TM)s maritime construction subsidiary, will build the foundations,
- the Dredging and Fabricom GTI consortium will supply and install the electrical equipment.

This project is owned by a group of companies, working together under the C-Power Belgian consortium in which EDF Energies Nouvelles has a 20.8% shareholding.

International Marine Consultancy has provided various types of floating equipment (tugs, barges, jack-ups, crew boats, multicats and other shallow draft vessels) to many offshore construction sites. IMC has close and long standing relationships with operators in over 50 countries across seven continents enabling us to find you the right piece of equipment.

The energy for a quarter of London�EUR(TM)s homes will be generated by one of the world�EUR(TM)s biggest wind farms in the Greater Thames Estuary. The first turbines are expected to go up in 2008 with works scheduled to finish by 2010. With its 1 gigawatt capacity, it is expected to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The project will cover 90 sq miles (232 sq km) between Margate in Kent and Clacton, Essex and represents nearly 10% of the Government’s renewable target for 2010.

Some of the reasons the site is regarded as very suitable for a large-scale offshore wind farm include:

�EUR� High wind speeds
�EUR� Low water depth
�EUR� Proximity of nearby ports for construction, operation and maintenance
�EUR� Minimum interference with established shipping channels
�EUR� Suitable ground conditions
�EUR� Suitable grid connection
�EUR� Proximity of power demand - South East England has the highest demand for electricity in the UK

Key elements of the London Array project are:

�EUR� Up to 271 turbines, installed over a four year period
�EUR� Associated offshore and onshore substations
�EUR� Cabling (between turbines and to shore)

The wind turbines will typically begin generating electricity at a minimum wind speed of 3 metres per second (m/s) or approximately 7mph, with full power being achieved from 13m/s (approx. 29mph). For safety reasons they would begin to shut down at wind speeds greater than 25m/s (approx. 56mph or a force 9 gale).

Upon completion London Array will provide around 750,000 homes’ annual electricity needs - that’s around a quarter of Greater London or of the homes in Kent and East Sussex. It will prevent the emission of 1.9million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year - enough to fill Wembley Stadium 250 times over.

London Array Offshore Wind Farm, a £1.5 billion project, is being developed by a consortium (London Array Limited) comprising three partners - E.ON UK Renewables, Shell WindEnergy Ltd and CORE Ltd.

International Marine Consultancy has provided various types of floating equipment (tugs, barges, jack-ups, crew boats, multicats and other shallow draft vessels) to many offshore construction sites. IMC has close and long standing relationships with operators in over 50 countries across seven continents enabling us to find you the right piece of equipment.

sources: London Array, E.ON UK, Seacore, Hays, BBC NEWS, London Thames Gateway Forum

British Gas�EUR(TM)s parent company, Centrica, today signalled the start of construction on the UK�EUR(TM)s largest offshore wind farm development by making a major investment in offshore wind turbines at its Lynn and Inner Dowsing sites in the Greater Wash, off the Lincolnshire coast.

British Gas has the lowest carbon intensity of any major energy supplier, and this investment will enhance that position. Centrica is entering into a contract with Siemens Power Generation to supply fifty-four 3.6MW turbines for the 180MW development, enabling a range of other related contracts to progress. The project is expected to cost approximately £300 million in total.

Construction work is scheduled to commence for the offshore site, three miles off the coast, in spring 2007, with onshore work to connect the power generation cable in Lincolnshire already ongoing. The project, which will be capable of supplying clean electricity to around 130,000 homes �EUR” the number found in a town the size of Reading �EUR” and will save 500,000 tonnes of CO2 every year, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008.

Lynn and Inner Dowsing will add 180MW of installed capacity to Centrica�EUR(TM)s power generation portfolio, which comprises the largest fleet of gas fired power stations and one of the largest portfolios of undeveloped offshore wind sites. The company is already a 50 per cent partner in Barrow Offshore Wind, the UK�EUR(TM)s equal largest offshore wind farm. In January it applied for planning consent to develop the 250MW Lincs project, also in the Greater Wash.

Centrica has also announced it will become a 50 per cent partner in the onshore Braes of Doune wind farm in central Scotland, which recently generated its first power, taking the UK�EUR(TM)s total installed wind capacity above 2000MW. Braes of Doune is currently in its commissioning phase, with completion expected during spring 2007.

Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive of Centrica, said: �EURoeAs the UK�EUR(TM)s greenest energy supplier, this investment underlines our commitment to supplying British Gas customers with an increasing proportion of renewable electricity in the years ahead.

�EURoeTogether with our existing gas fired generation and clean coal options, our investments in wind power will play a real part towards helping the UK move towards a low carbon energy mix.�EUR�

source: OilVoice

With natural oil and gas reserves dwindling, renewable alternative energy sources are in high demand. Wind power is one of the most cost-competitive renewables today.

The Q7 wind farm, a 120 MW offshore wind park, comprising 60 Vestas V-80 wind turbine generators, is being built about 23 kilometres offshore from IJmuiden, in block Q7 of the Dutch Continental Shelf. The sixty wind turbines, each with a capacity of 2 Megawatts, will be placed at a depth of 19 - 24 metres. Q7 is located furthest offshore and placed in the deepest water.

The project, owned and developed by group companies of ENECO Holding N.V. (�EURoeENECO�EUR�), Econcern BV (�EURoeEconcern�EUR�) and Energy Investment Holdings (�EURoeEIH�EUR�), is built by Vestas Wind Systems A/S (�EURoeVestas�EUR�) and Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors B.V (�EURoeVan Oord�EUR�) under separate construction contracts, and will initially be operated by Vestas Offshore, an affiliate of Vestas, under a 5-year warranty, operations and maintenance contract. Construction started this summer and is expected to be completed by 1 March 2008, for a total investment cost of EUR 383 million. It will sell electricity to ENECO Energy Trade B.V, an affiliate of ENECO and will benefit from the Dutch regime supporting investments in renewable energy projects in the Netherlands. It will produce approximately 400 GWh per year, enough to supply 125,000 households, and avoid the emission of 225,000 tons of carbon.

IMC can deliver a diverse marine spread required for offshore wind farm projects, including (crane) barges, tugs and crew tenders.

Below you will find a small photo impression of the project.

Pictures © Arie Ros