News Archive February 2016

Siemens to supply two land-based converter stations / COBRA interconnector to have a transmission capacity of 700 megawatts / Link will enable efficient integration of renewable energy sources

US: Enormous blades could lead to more offshore energy

A new design for gigantic blades longer than two football fields could help bring offshore 50-megawatt (MW) wind turbines to the United States and the world.

Denmark: Suzlon Opens New Blade Science Center in Vejle

Focus is on Aerodynamics, Pitch Control Systems, and New Structures / Dr. Thomas Buhl joins Suzlon to lead Blade Science Center

Mexico: Gamesa lands a new order for the supply of 200 MW

The company will install 95 of its G114-2.1 MW turbines at a wind farm being built in the north of the country

Germany: SMC wraps up Marine Coordination on Baltic 2

Specialist Marine Consultants Ltd (SMC) supported Siemens with Marine Coordination on the completion of Baltic 2 Offshore Wind Farm

Europe: Record 13bn euro invested in offshore wind in 2015 - 3GW new capacity

Offshore wind investments in Europe doubled in 2015 to €13.3 billion in a record year for financing and grid-connected installations.

The COBRAcable HVDC link is key for a sustainable European energy landscape / Prysmian will invest in submarine cable production capacity upgrade and the acquisition of a new barge to widen range of installation capabilities

Winergy, the leading supplier of wind turbine drive train components, named E.ON Energy services as a factory Authorized Service Provider for inspection, repair and replacement of Winergy equipment.

Built by Ontario workers with Ontario-made products, Armow Wind is now creating clean power for up to 70,000 Ontario homes each year

Vergnet recently commissioned the modernisation of The Petite Place wind farm, originally installed in 1997, to deliver a higher amount of energy in the Guadeloupe Region for its key customer Eole Marie Galante.

Today TenneT marked the official opening of a special cable storage facility in Eemshaven, the Netherlands. The facility provides 2.309 m² of floor space, enabling the storage of up to 4,600 tonnes of high-voltage electricity cables.

Wind Works Power Corp. is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement to partner with a Swiss Institutional Fund based in Zurich to jointly own and operate the wind park.

South Boats IOW Ltd. and Alicat Workboats Ltd., builders of aluminium workboats has today received an order from Iceni Marine Services Ltd. for the purchase of a new build South Boats IOW 23m Offshore Wind CTV plus options for a further two vessels.

China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Limited, a leading wind energy solution provider in China, announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to which the Company will be acquired by a consortium of investors.

UK: Successful repair for London Array leads to further work for the Subsea Hydraulic Cable Grab

Pharos Offshore successfully completed a diver-less export cable repair for London Array using the Subsea Hydraulic Cable Grab.

UK: Global Marine Acquires Majority Interest in CWind

Global Marine Systems Limited announced today the acquisition of a majority interest in CWind Limited, a leading offshore renewables specialist.

Germany: Repairs at high sea - Long-lasting rust protection for offshore wind turbines

Offshore wind farms generate energy from the raw winds out at sea. But the salty air causes them to rust.

UK: DONG Energy to build new record size offshore wind farm

DONG Energy has made a final investment decision to build the giant Hornsea Project One offshore wind farm (Hornsea) in the UK.

Statoil has awarded Nexans the contract to supply static and dynamic cabling and associated accessories for the world’s first floating wind farm, following a successful demo facilitated by Nexans’ cables which has been in operation since 2009.

Impax Asset Management announced that a fund managed by the Company has completed the sale of a portfolio of wind assets in France and Germany to ERG Renew, the renewable energy subsidiary of the Italian multi-energy company ERG Group

Last year's climate protection actions were marked by the Paris climate summit agreement where for the first time ever 196 countries agreed on a common cause. Thus also last skeptics were signaled that rethinking is more than due in dealing with the earth's limited resources. However, this agreement is only the culmination of a year in which renewable energy as a crucial aspect of climate change went from one record to another.

Ireland: Vestas wins 36 MW order

IMPAX Asset Management has placed a firm and unconditional order for 11 units of Vestas’ V112-3.3 MW wind turbine, demonstrating the strength of Vestas’ 3 MW platform in Ireland.

Westermost Rough Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of DONG Energy A/S (50%), the UK Green Investment Bank plc (25%) and Marubeni Corporation (25%) today announced that it has signed an agreement for the sale of its transmission assets to TC Westermost Rough OFTO Limited.

Scotland: Scoping Report for the North Lowther Energy Initiative submitted to Scottish Ministers

A scoping report has been submitted to Scottish Ministers as plans progress for the creation of an energy project in North Lowther.

With the completion of the Highland wind farm in O’Brien County and the Adams wind farm in Adams County, MidAmerican Energy Company has wrapped up work on two major projects adding more than 1,200 megawatts of wind generation capacity for customers.

EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG and Iberdrola have concluded a contract under which EnBW will provide services for the construction of the Wikinger offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea.

US: ACCIONA Energy and Bank of America Merrill Lynch complete financing for San Roman wind farm in Texas

The 93-MW project is currently under construction and will enter service by the end of 2016

Duke Energy Renewable Services announced it has partnered with DTE Energy Company via a five-year service agreement to operate and maintain DTE's seven wind parks totaling 400 MW.

Siemens has been awarded an order from the transmission grid operator Amprion for the supply, installation and commissioning of a reactive power compensation system for stabilizing the power supply grid in the Greater Frankfurt Area.

US: AWEA statement on BCSE 2016 Factbook

“Wind power is two-thirds cheaper than it was six years ago, and after installing eight gigawatts of clean wind energy last year we’re going to keep this American success story going."

Europe: WKN concludes a framework agreement with John Laing

Agreement for potential future WKN projects in France and Poland

Ofgem has granted a licence to Transmission Capital Partners to own and operate the £156.7m high voltage link to the Westermost Rough windfarm.

Germany: Halfway on Gode Wind 2+1 OWF

Early morning 4 February 2016, SEA CHALLENGER successfully completed installation of the 49th turbine at the Gode Wind 2+1 Offshore Wind Farm.

H145 shows impressive safety and performance levels during offshore missions / Demo flights included transfer of harbor pilots, technicians for wind turbines and cargo transport

Work began in Sandy, Bedfordshire on Monday 25 January, and the 100 metre tall wind turbine will generate around two million units of green energy every year, equivalent to over half of the electricity the RSPB uses across its 127 UK locations.

Sweden: Roxtec SPM™ seal

Seal your metal pipes without welding

Germany: Allianz first wind investment in the US

The first US investment is a major step for Allianz and offers great potential. David Jones, Head of Renewables at Allianz Capital Partners, explains the latest milestone.

Germany: Smart Blades - New ideas for making rotor blades more stable and lighter

Research Alliance Wind Energy presents project results

Swedish company Hexicon has appointed Atkins as engineering partner for the world’s first multi-turbine offshore wind floating platform to be deployed at the Dounreay Tri Project off the Scottish north coast.

Scotland: Financial Close reached for two Scottish Wind Farms

Velocita Energy Developments secures non-recourse financing for two Onshore Wind Farms in Dumfries & Galloway and North Ayrshire.

Denmark: Vestas - Annual report 2015

Yet another year with strong financial and operational results

India: Suzlon S111 wind turbine: Performance exceeds design power curve

Suzlon S111 receives Type Certification for both 50 Hz and 60 Hz variants / Achieved approximately 102 % of its design power curve

Scotland: 2016 wind power output in Scotland 'off to a flying start'

Scotland’s wind power output got “off to a flying start” in January, said environmental groups today (Monday 8 February).

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has confirmed that the first of five new, or upgraded, Air Defence radars provided by Serco, which prevent wind farms interfering with the UK’s air defence capability, is now fully operational.

Europe: Wind adds 13GW new capacity in 2015 - 44% of all new power

Wind energy added more new capacity than any other form of power in Europe in 2015.

Global: China Wind Power Blows Past EU

Record Chinese installations drive global market past 63 GW

Invenergy announced that it has signed a 120 MW wind power purchase agreement (PPA) with 3M to provide the global science-based company with renewable energy to help support its operations across North America.

RES America Developments Inc., a subsidiary of Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc., has reached an agreement to transfer a U.S. offshore wind development lease off the coast of New Jersey to DONG Energy.

Adwen’s AD 5-135 turbine has obtained the first Type Certificate based on the Guideline for the Certification of Offshore Wind Turbines, Edition 2012 issued by DNV GL.

Norway: Eidesvik enters the Offshore Wind Marked

Eidesvik has entered into an agreement with Siemens Wind Power for a Service- and support vessel in German sector. Contract commencement will be in August.

Today, DONG Energy has signed and completed an agreement to divest 50% of the 258 MW UK offshore wind farm project Burbo Bank Extension to Danish pension provider PKA and KIRKBI A/S, parent company of the LEGO Group.

Europe: Share of renewables in energy consumption in the EU rose further to 16% in 2014

Nine Member States already achieved their 2020 targets

Germany: EMO’s B2 Marine Coordination Team goes on to WIKINGER project

On 31.01.2016 EMS Maritime Offshore GmbH (EMO) has completed the Marine Coordination job for the construction phase of the offshore wind farm Baltic 2.

AWEA: We can meet the Clean Power Plan and save money

In response to the temporary stay of the Clean Power Plan by the Supreme Court, the American Wind Energy Association issued the following statement

India: Inox Wind Commissions 170 MW for Continuum Wind Energy

Signs 24 MW Repeat Order and in Advanced Discussions for Further Repeat Orders

All four tested floating measuring platforms fulfil requirements / The EOLOS metocean buoy, installed in spring 2015, also delivers good results / Innovative measuring platform costs only 10 to 20 percent of a conventional measuring method

In the summer of 1991, 11 small wind turbines supplied the first offshore wind energy to the Danish power grid. It marked the beginning of an industrial growth adventure which has positioned Denmark as the world leader in constructing and operating offshore wind turbines. The wind turbines are located off the coast of Vindeby, a village on the island of Lolland, after which Vindeby offshore wind farm is named.

According to preliminary figures, the world has seen a new record in new wind installations, adding 63,690 MW within the year 2015. The total wind capacity of the world has reached 435 GW

Market leaders GE Renewable Energy and Vestas are supporting the Polish event as Event Ambassadors with the aim of fostering discussions about the future of the national market and encouraging clients & partners to participate in the exhibition.

Poland: Protea Launches Wind Farm Service Crane

New development – 2t SWL crane for light lifting and handling operations on unmanned platforms.

The Completed Permanent Magnet Generator (PMG) is the First Generator out of the First Series of 300 Generators to be Manufactured in GE’s Offshore Wind Factory in Saint-Nazaire

US: First Reserve Acquires Mariah North Wind Power Project In The Texas Panhandle

Construction-Ready Project Serves High-Demand ERCOT Market and is Supported by Experienced Wind Developer

Germany: Deutsche Bank continues its support to offshore wind project bonds

Meerwind offshore financing follows Gode Wind 1 offshore wind park financing in December 2015

The Carbon Trust announce the start of the world’s largest trial of scanning Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology which is taking place in Dublin Bay, Ireland.

The seamless flux cored wire delivered by the voestalpine Böhler Welding Group has been used in one of the most impressive offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea.

North America: North American clean energy agreement a milestone in shift to decarbonized economies

CanWEA welcomes trilateral collaboration which signals a priority on clean energy

Europe: Mapping the cost of capital for renewable energy investments in the EU

The weighted cost of capital significantly varies across the European Union, amounting to 3.5 percent in Germany and 12 percent in Greece in 2014.

Wind Prospect Operations (“WPO”) hires Kelly Dallas, BlackRock’s former VP of Asset Management, to lead the management of its fast-growing European portfolio of third party wind and solar assets.

FUTUREN obtained a building permit, today free of any third-party claim, to install 11 new wind turbines on Les Monts wind farm, located in the Aube French department.

Global: Towers Set to Reach Mega Heights

Reaching for the sky

UK: CWind wins 20 year Operations & Maintenance contract

TC Westermost Rough OFTO Limited has appointed offshore renewables specialist CWind to maintain on- and offshore assets at Westermost Rough offshore wind farm.

Europe: Wake up call for policymakers as China overtakes EU on wind installations

Europe risks losing its leadership in wind energy without a clear policy vision for renewables towards 2030.

Germany: Installation of monopile and transition piece with M72

In this video you can see Bilfinger Marine & Offshore Systems GmbH installation of offshore monopile foundations and transition pieces.

Global: Siemens 7-megawatt offshore wind turbine reaches final stage in development process

Siemens' new large direct drive wind turbine type certified / Field tests with two prototypes in Østerild, Denmark

On 12 th February 2016 Bilfinger Marine & Offshore Systems successfully finished the foundation installation for the EUR 1.2 billion offshore wind farm Sandbank, which is realized by the joint venture Vattenfall (51%) and Stadtwerke München (49%).

The company will install three G128-4.5 MW turbines at the Debstedt wind farm which will produce more energy using half as many turbines / Gamesa will also operate and maintain the facility for 18 years

Statoil today launches a new venture capital fund dedicated to investing in attractive and ambitious growth companies in renewable energy, supporting its strategy of growth in new energy solutions

Denmark: 8.2 Consulting AG together with Rasmus Ilum Nielsen established a new subsidiary

Something is new in the state of Denmark

South Africa: Windhunter Africa hits the ground running: first projects in South Africa

Windhunter Africa is installing eight met masts for two international clients in South Africa.

Scotland: SSE welcomes decision on Gordonbush Wind Farm extension

SSE welcomes the decision from The Highland Council to raise no objection to the proposed Gordonbush Wind Farm extension.

The Dounreay Tri Project, expected to be operational in 2018, is being developed by Hexicon and its partners to pilot a novel floating foundation design for offshore wind.

As the first company in Germany, Statkraft can participate in the German control reserve market with a pool of wind farms in the control area of transmission system operator 5OHertz

Inox Wind Limited, maintaining its momentum as India’s leading wind power solutions provider, has bagged a repeat order for a 100 MW wind power project at Rojmal, in the state of Gujarat from Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL).

Atlantic Wind Transfers, so far the only US offshore wind farm support company, is making progress in building their first home-made work boat. Last week, their vessel was lowered into the water for the first time. It's supposed to support the Block Island offshore wind farm in the future.

UK: Multimillion-pound investment in Port of Dundee

Multimillion-pound investment planned for Port of Dundee / New quayside to prepare port for North Sea oil & gas decommissioning and offshore wind sectors

US: Cutting Concrete Use at Wind Farms by 75 Percent

Oregon BEST Funding Helps Startup Team with PSU Researchers on New Foundation Technology

Scotland: Additional work in the Hywind contract

Aibel has also been given responsibility for procurement to Statoil's Hywind Scotland Pilot Park. The amendment to the contract was signed this week.

Japan: K2 Management to support Japanese offshore wind

K2 Management is proud to announce it has been awarded with its first contract in Japan.

Since its launch, the global orderbook for this turbine model has grown to over 2,000 MW / The company will install 50 of its G114-2.0 MW class S wind turbines at a wind farm being built in the state of Andhra Pradesh and 42 turbines of this same model at a second project located in the state of Karnataka

Germany: Offshore wind farm Gode Wind 2 started producing power and feeding into the grid

?The Gode Wind 2 offshore wind farm started producing power and feeding into the German grid.

Norther N.V. has selected MHI Vestas Offshore Wind as the preferred supplier for delivery of V164-8.0 MW turbines for the 370 MW Norther project in Belgium.

In 2015, the Nordex Group improved its position on the growing French market. With an output of around 155 MW newly-installed turbines, Nordex has increased its market share from nine percent in 2014 to 14 percent in 2015.

Enel Green Power has been awarded the right to sign 20-year energy supply contracts with three projects for a total of 326 MW / These projects are the first being awarded to and developed by the company in the country

Five-year agreement with Obelisk Group enables Altitec to offer bespoke blade inspection and repair services to developers and operators working within key emerging markets

The NorSea Group AS (NSG) has signed a contract with Statoil concerning utilisation of Stordbase AS in Norway to assemble the world's first floating wind farm, the Hywind Scotland Pilot Park. The contract is valued at approximately NOK 50-70 million.

Uruguay: Spider Provides Largest Blade Access Platform to Date for Uruguay Wind Farm

Spider, a division of SafeWorks, LLC, recently provided the largest Blade Access Platform (BAP) to date for Akuo Energy Uruguay.

An important milestone has been reached in the construction of the Gemini Offshore Wind Park. On 16 February 2016, the first wind turbine was installed by Van Oord, and it will soon begin producing electricity. In the coming months, a total of 150 wind turbines will be installed.

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has upgraded its UKAS accredited high voltage (HV) electrical laboratory, providing enhanced testing capability unique in the UK and paving the way for an industry shift from 33 kV to 66 kV for future offshore wind inter-array electrical systems.

The fully revised certification scheme DNVGL-SE-0190 features more risk-related features than any other project certification standard available on the market to date.

Sweden: New business for Roxtec

Yet another company has set sails under the Roxtec flag. Roxtec Services AB offers inspections, maintenance work and installation trainings within the crucial area of cable and pipe transits.

India: Senvion wants to conquer Indian market

Senvion Enters India as New Core Market: Amit Kansal Becomes CEO and Managing Director of Senvion India

Netherlands: Siemens awards Marine Coordination at Gemini to SMC

Specialist Marine Consultants Ltd (SMC) has once more been chosen by Siemens to provide offshore Marine Coordination for a major Wind Power construction project.

Civils contractors today said that unless the Government adopt a sea-change in its approach to the renewables sector, the industry will “fall off a cliff”, costing jobs and growth, particularly in Scotland.

Europe: WFW advised HSH Nordbank on €30.2m Finnish wind park project financing

International law firm Watson Farley Williams has advised HSH Nordbank AG on the financing of the Finnish onshore wind park “Silovuori“.

Planned listing of shares on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange / Senvion to strengthen international profile and transparency, highlighting financial strengths / Listing will improve visibility the Company as it expands into new markets / Going public will provide access to capital markets to support growth

Statkraft, TrønderEnergi and the European investor consortium Nordic Wind Power DA will join forces to realise Europe's largest onshore wind power project in Central-Norway, comprising six onshore wind farms, with a combined capacity of 1000MW.

Ireland: SmartBay Ireland Receives International Accreditation

SmartBay Ireland awarded accreditation under OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational Health and Safety, ISO 14001:2004 Environment and ISO 9001:2008 Quality standards.

UK: Two wind farms sold

Shareholders in Partnerships for Renewables have recently completed the sale of two of its wind farms to Resonance British Wind Energy Income.

Netherlands: Heinen & Hopman secured a five year contract for an offshore wind farm

Service and Maintenance Contract for Eneco Wind Luchterduinen

South Africa: ALE completes Amakhala wind project

ALE has finished the delivery of 560 wind turbine generator components for the eight-month long Amakhala Project in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Asia: Joint Venture for the deployment of Service Rigs

Ezion enters into a joint venture agreement with a Chinese state-owned enterprise for the chartering of service rigs to support the offshore wind farm market.

As announced in the third quarter of 2015, a joint venture between Bladt industries and EEW SPC won the contract for building foundations for the Veja Mate Offshore Wind Farm.

A British engineering consortium led by Kite Power Solutions Ltd (KPS) has secured a £1.0 million grant from the UK Government’s Innovate UK Energy Catalyst to accelerate the development of its kite power generation technology.

Cape Verde: Africa Finance Corporation increases stake in Cabeólica Wind Farm

Cabeólica is the first privately-financed sustainable wind farm on a commercial scale in sub-Saharan Africa.

UK: FoundOcean poised to commence work at Dudgeon OWF

The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is an exciting £1.5 billion project being developed to harness offshore wind to power more than 410,000 UK homes.

When completed, the acquisition of these assets will expand NextEra Energy Partners' portfolio of contracted renewable energy projects to approximately 2,509 MW.

Global: Vestas loses top position

Goldwind surges to the top: ranked number one onshore turbine seller in 2015 by commissioned capacity

Germany: Nordex receives orders totalling 150 MW

Already at the beginning of 2016, Nordex has received eleven orders in Germany for 50 turbines with a total of 150 MW.

US: Adwen Chooses Sentient Science For Computational Gearbox Testing of 8MW Offshore Wind Turbine

With DigitalClone®, Adwen has world’s most tested Drivetrain

Mexico: TPI Launches Second Mexico Wind Blade Plant and Expands its Agreement with Gamesa

TPI's manufacturing capacity in Juarez will be used to supply Gamesa projects in Latin America and the United States.

Wind farm pioneering climate protection / All systems in normal operation since end of 2015 Generation output well on target / Capital expenditure of € 110 million

Global: Nearly 140 Wind Projects Awarded Turbine Contracts in the Second Half of 2015

Siemens and Vestas led turbine orders in total capacity during this time period

ScottishPower Renewables makes its final investment decision for East Anglia ONE. When built, it will be the best value offshore windfarm in the world, and one of the largest.

Repsol will transfer the Inch Cape and Beatrice projects to China’s SDIC Power / The sale is part of the company’s goal to sell non-strategic assets

Once again, Ingeteam, the leader in operation and maintenance services in Mexico, is to take part in the most important event for the country's wind power sector: Mexico WindPower 2016, held on the 24th and 25h February at the Banamex Centre in Mexico City.

This transfer of offshore energy maintenance contracts is in line with Ballast Nedam’s strategy to focus its activities on the working areas of housing and mobility, following the sale of its offshore activities at the end of 2014.

UK: RTS Wind Establishes first Branch in Great Britain

KMB Is Now RTS Wind Ltd.

UK: Galloper Wind Farm Ltd awards James Fisher the Offshore Services Contract for 336MW wind farm

James Fisher selected to provide a suite of offshore and marine services during construction phase of Galloper offshore wind farm.

The Nagasaki Prefecture has been identified as a potential location for the offshore renewable test site, to not only take advantage of the region’s abundant coastline, but also leverage the existing infrastructure and supply chain capabilities from its shipbuilding heritage.

Group’s offshore marine engineering devision GeoSea and Siemens have concluded an EPCI foundation contract for the Hohe See offshore wind farm.

40% increase in sales to EUR 2,430 million / EBIT up more than 60% to EUR 126.2 million / Increase in free cash flow to EUR 94.6 million / Larger order backlog providing the basis for further growth

Statkraft has put into operation the first multi-megawatt-battery in TenneT’s German grid area. The battery is going to contribute to the stabilisation of the power grid in the region.

Ireland: Gaelectric completes purchase of 46MW Cloghboola Wind Farm

Innovative €60m hybrid financing structure provided by Nord/LB

Mainstream announced its 80 megawatt Noupoort Wind Farm in South Africa’s Northern Cape is now connected to the Eskom grid and commissioning of wind turbines has commenced, one year to the day since it reached financial close and started construction.

Spain: Vestas wins 268 MW service contract

Vestas extends a long-term service contract with a Spanish wind developer to maintain six wind parks, totalling 268 MW, for the remainder of their expected lifetime.

Specialist Marine Consultants Ltd (SMC) have been appointed to provide Client Representatives for the installation of Monopiles and Transition pieces on the Veja Mate Offshore Project.

Yet again, wind power set energy generation and penetration records across the United States late last week. From the ERCOT grid in Texas north to the MISO grid in the Midwest, these achievements build on the record setting trends reported by multiple grid operators in recent months.

Netherlands: Gemini Wind Park delivers first power to the grid

First wind turbines are generating renewable energy 85 kilometres from the coast of Groningen

NTR plc today announces the successful and final close of its wind investment fund, NTR Wind 1, with the addition of a further €50 million secured from Strathclyde Pension Fund and €35 million from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.