News Release from Senvion GmbH
Wind Industry Profile of
07/20/2006
Start of construction for first offshore installation in the Scottish North Sea
The first installation of REpower 5M wind turbines offshore – on the open sea – as part of the “Beatrice” project is imminent. All the components for the two 5 megawatt turbines have arrived at their destination, the Scottish harbour of Nigg, including the 5M nacelles produced in Bremerhaven, the world's longest rotor blades measuring 61.5 metres and the tower segments. The erection right on the harbour’s edge is under way: Today, the first nacelle will be lifted up and assembled on the completed tower.
Following their erection, the wind turbines (each weighing 900 t in total) will be transported 25 kilometres on the open sea at the beginning of August, to be mounted on special jacket structures anchored underwater at a depth of 44 metres with the help of a floating crane. A premiere not just for REpower, but also for offshore wind energy in general: never before have turbines been assembled in such deep water and the installation process itself is novel, too.
The two offshore turbines will be installed as part of the largest ever European research and development project, “DOWNVinD” (Distant Offshore Windfarms with No Visual Impact in Deep Water), near a platform in the Beatrice oilfield of Talisman Energy (UK). They will be connected to the existing cable connection that previously provided the platform with its electricity. REpower is the exclusive turbine supplier.
As part of an information event on the Beatrice project in Nigg, the EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs, the Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen and Talisman CEO Dr. Jim Buckee were among those visiting the platform to get an impression of the future offshore location of the 5M. Afterwards, they viewed the components in Nigg harbour.
EU commissioner Mr. Piebalgs was impressed by the state-of-the-art technology of the 5M turbines and commented: “Europe has to keep driving forward the expansion of renewable energies to achieve the Kyoto targets – primarily limiting CO2 emissions – and to meet the dependence on energy imports and progressive climate change.” He emphasised: “In the coastal countries, the network connection of offshore wind farms has to be ensured.”
In Nigg, REpower CEO Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt called again for more support from German policy: “It is as symptomatic as it is regrettable that our offshore turbines have to be tested in Scotland, as the conditions in Germany for this type of investment are completely insufficient. Politicians advocate the expansion of renewable energy and expressly that of offshore wind energy; however, valuable time is wasted because the question of investment has not been clarified.”
REpower Systems AG began development of a high-performance 5 megawatt turbine years ago, which should advance the competitiveness of offshore wind energy. A prototype has been in operation in Brunsbüttel (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) since 2004 and can supply 4,500 three-person households with electricity.
Following their erection, the wind turbines (each weighing 900 t in total) will be transported 25 kilometres on the open sea at the beginning of August, to be mounted on special jacket structures anchored underwater at a depth of 44 metres with the help of a floating crane. A premiere not just for REpower, but also for offshore wind energy in general: never before have turbines been assembled in such deep water and the installation process itself is novel, too.
The two offshore turbines will be installed as part of the largest ever European research and development project, “DOWNVinD” (Distant Offshore Windfarms with No Visual Impact in Deep Water), near a platform in the Beatrice oilfield of Talisman Energy (UK). They will be connected to the existing cable connection that previously provided the platform with its electricity. REpower is the exclusive turbine supplier.
As part of an information event on the Beatrice project in Nigg, the EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs, the Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen and Talisman CEO Dr. Jim Buckee were among those visiting the platform to get an impression of the future offshore location of the 5M. Afterwards, they viewed the components in Nigg harbour.
EU commissioner Mr. Piebalgs was impressed by the state-of-the-art technology of the 5M turbines and commented: “Europe has to keep driving forward the expansion of renewable energies to achieve the Kyoto targets – primarily limiting CO2 emissions – and to meet the dependence on energy imports and progressive climate change.” He emphasised: “In the coastal countries, the network connection of offshore wind farms has to be ensured.”
In Nigg, REpower CEO Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt called again for more support from German policy: “It is as symptomatic as it is regrettable that our offshore turbines have to be tested in Scotland, as the conditions in Germany for this type of investment are completely insufficient. Politicians advocate the expansion of renewable energy and expressly that of offshore wind energy; however, valuable time is wasted because the question of investment has not been clarified.”
REpower Systems AG began development of a high-performance 5 megawatt turbine years ago, which should advance the competitiveness of offshore wind energy. A prototype has been in operation in Brunsbüttel (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) since 2004 and can supply 4,500 three-person households with electricity.
- Source:
- REpower Systems AG
- Author:
- Daniela Puttenat
- Email:
- d.puttenat@repower.de
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