News Archive August 2016

Prysmian's third and newest vessel “ULISSE” now ready for operation

First project to be executed in the Philippines

Offshore wind in Europe draws €14 billion investment in first half of 2016

The European offshore wind industry attracted a record €14 billion in new investments during the first six months of 2016.

Senvion, a leading global manufacturer of wind turbines, has signed a contract with EDL to supply wind energy to a hybrid micro-grid in Coober Pedy, a remote town in South Australia.

Security of supply remains high at 99.999% / EUR 875 million invested in Dutch and German high-voltage grid in first half of 2016 / Revenue increases from EUR 1,395 million to EUR 1,546 million / Underlying operating result (EBIT) decreased by EUR 76 million to EUR 414 million due to lower impact of special items / EUR 1.5 billion of new green bonds and green loans issued

Gamesa awarded debut order by renewable energy producer Voltalia for the supply of 27.3 MW in Brazil

The company will install 27.3 MW at the Vila Acre wind complex, located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte

Installation of foundations completed at Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm

All 32 foundations for DONG Energy's Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay have been installed.

The Nordex Group will install 22 AW125/3000 turbines in Brazil for its customer EDF Energies Nouvelles. Acciona Windpower signed the contract for this project in the winter of 2015, prior to the merger with Nordex.

The distributor of fasteners and fixing technology F. REYHER Nchfg. GmbH & Co. KG is once again showcasing at the WindEnergy trade fair from 27 to 30 September in Hamburg. In hall B5, booth 204 everything revolves around the sector-specific product range and services, which the company uses to source fasteners for customers efficiently, reliably and with planning certainty.

SeaPlanner Manages Record Amounts of Project Data During Construction Phase of Gemini

SeaPlanner has managed a record quantity of project data throughout the construction phase of the Gemini Offshore Wind Park.

Iran unveiled plans for its first tender for utility-scale renewable energy projects last week. This announcement happened just before the 4th Iranian Wind Power Congress. WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson gave the keynote speech at the Energy Ministry in front of 500 people and pointed to the tremendous potential of one of the largest wind power markets in the Middle East.

Duke Energy Renewables has announced its control center now serves more than 3,500 megawatts of wind and solar energy plants across the U.S. since it opened in its new location in 2015.

Alliant Energy announces $1 billion wind project to advance clean energy

Project supports Iowa's vision for growing renewable energy

Investment will fund Lekela Power Platform to build over 1.3GW of wind and solar plants in Africa by 2018 / Lekela and Mainstream playing key role in delivering US Administration’s Power Africa initiative

Vestas receives 120 MW order in Morocco

With more than 900 MW already installed or under construction in Africa, this order adds to Vestas’ growing presence in the region.

Nordex: N117/3600 and N131/3600 produce up to a 12% higher yield at sites with moderate and light winds

20 percent higher rated output / Lowest sound emission levels in their class

A few weeks after the start of construction of a wind farm near Homburg in the southwestern German federal state of the Saarland, EnBW has started with the construction of another onshore wind farm in Blieskastel.

First offshore wind farm in the United States: Turbine installation started

Deepwater Wind has announced on their social media channels that the turbine installation of the first American offshore wind farm has kicked off.

New solutions for providing primary reserve capacity to support European grid frequency: Growth of number of renewable sources requires innovative solutions for maintaining balance between demand and supply on the grid / TenneT to kick off pilot with four parties for providing primary reserve capacity.

In late July the Amakhala Emoyeni wind farm in South Africa achieved commercial operation. The onshore wind farm with a capacity of 134 megawatts is located near the town of Bedford in Eastern Cape.

BayWa r.e.’s 29.7 MW Fraisthorpe Wind Farm Now Fully Operational

BayWa r.e. has announced that its Fraisthorpe Wind Farm in Bridlington, 40 miles east of York, started full commercial operations on 8th June 2016.

Blades 'Breeze' Into Belfast

Offshore Wind Farm Being Assembled in Belfast Harbour

The maintenance and service of wind turbines increasingly play a more important role in the business field of wind energy. This has been recognized by the German energy company EnBW. Therefore the company decided to buy the Independent Danish service provider Connected Wind Services A/S.

Duke Energy Renewables completes the final Los Vientos wind project in Texas

200-megawatt (MW) Los Vientos IV near Rio Grande City begins operations / Together, the five Los Vientos wind projects total 900 MW

Bilfinger sells offshore divisions to German industrial holding VTC

Beleaguered construction company Bilfinger has already found buyers for two of its offshore divisions / Another division is still up for sale.

WindEurope Summit 2016: Making transition work

Global energy is in transition over the last decade. This represents both opportunities and challenges for the wind industry.

Construction Monitoring with Vibrating Wire

Gantner Instruments acquires measurement data from vibrating wire sensors to monitor the condition and loads of pre-stressed concrete constructions like bridges.

WindEnergy Hamburg to Highlight Latest Component Technology Advances And Customized Developments

From 27 to 30 September 2016 at the Hamburg Fair site

The ship is about to install 32 MHI Vestas 8MW turbines on DONG Energy’s Burbo Bank Extension. The vessel is currently mobilising in Liverpool, preparing to handle the new large turbines from the beginning of September.

Wind power lauds transformative Massachusetts energy legislation

The Massachusetts state legislature has passed a new law that will dramatically expand procurement of renewable energy in the state.

ELA Container Offshore GmbH will participate at the ONS 2016, the Offshore Northern Seas, from 29 August - 1 September 2016. The exhibition will take place in Stavanger, Norway.

Further extension for “Kivivaara”: Nordex rounds off the project at 90 MW

Taaleri orders eleven additional N131/3000 turbines

Vestas receives 160 MW order in the United States

EDF Renewable Energy has placed a firm and unconditional order from for 80 PTC-qualifying 2.0 MW turbines.

There are strong winds blowing in the German Baltic Sea which are soon to be harvested by another offshore wind farm: From the end of 2017 onwards, the wind farm Wikinger will supply 350,000 German households with clean energy.

E.ON adds US-based Colbeck's Corner Wind Farm to its renewable portfolio

Costs for the construction of onshore wind farms reduced once again

From Bundaberg to Batemans Bay to Bunbury, rural and regional communities are on the frontline of climate change impacts - enduring increasing droughts, bushfires and heatwaves. But, importantly, they’re also at the forefront of opportunities and solutions - with a huge transition to renewable energy taking place across the country - and in particular in our rural communities.

Stadtwerke München participate in the construction of the onshore wind farm Raskiftet, which will be installed by early 2019 about 200 kilometers northeast of Oslo. The share of SWM is 60 percent, other partners are the two local Norwegian utilities Eidsiva Energi and Gudbrandsdal Energi.

Leading renewable energy consultancy, SgurrEnergy, supported the acquisition of a stake in the 336MW Galloper offshore wind farm in the UK. The Wood Group business provided independent technical advisory services to Sumitomo Corporation.

Nexans will be attending CIGRE 2016 which will take place from August 21 to August 26, in Paris. During the exhibition Nexans’ sessions will cover AC and DC land and submarine high voltage cables, superconducting systems, overhead lines and high voltage accessories.

Prysmian to reconfirm its commitment to technological innovation in HV and Submarine cable systems at CIGRE 2016

Latest HVDC cable technologies from the Group up to 700 kV on display

Ballybay Wind Farm comprises six Enercon turbines generating 13.8 MW / Foyle Wind Farm comprises four Enercon turbines generating 9.6 MW / Total financing package provided by Allied Irish Banks, plc (AIB)

EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) has placed a firm order with Vestas Wind Systems A/S to supply 160 megawatts (MW) for future wind projects in the United States. The order is part of a global master supply agreement.

Statkraft, Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy, is the first company to offer renewable power tracked by the International Renewable Energy Certificate Standard in India. The certificates are generated in cooperation with its Indian hydropower partner Malana Power Company Limited.

RTS at the WindEnergy 2016

27 - 30 of September in Hamburg

nkt cables will be at the CIGRE 2016 Technical Exhibition in Paris from 22nd – 26th August, where we will be showcasing innovative products and solutions for high voltage and extra high voltage power systems, including:

A strategic review of east coast port facilities has identified the enormous potential of the offshore wind sector to accelerate economic growth on the east coast of Britain.

Swedish energy utility has aquired Northern Energy GlobalTech II GmbH, owner of planned offshore wind farm Global Tech II, which is to be built about 85 kilometers off the German North Sea coast.

The ranked top 25 global wind asset owners owned 170GW of grid-connected capacity at the end of 2015, comprising 41% of global cumulative capacity. This is a decline from 42% in 2014 and 47% in 2012, as global ownership continues to become more fragmented due to smaller owners outside of the top 25.

As part of the re-accreditation, ABE Zertifizierung GmbH obtained the renewal of its accreditation according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065 by the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) for another 5 years. Within this week ABE received its official DAkkS-certificate.

The plans to build the first commercial nuclear power plant in the East European country have apparently been put to a halt. Instead, there are completely new voices coming from Poland. They seem to have discovered offshore wind energy - and already have lofty plans.

Q2 revenues up 7 percent to EUR 505m, adjusted EBITDA margin of 8.9 percent / Early successes in new markets / Full year guidance: EUR 2.25-2.3bn, adjusted EBITDA margin around 9.5 percent

Building on our strong international partnerships to accelerate grid modernization, research and deployment, the Energy Department’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability today announced a new Funding Opportunity Announcement for joint research on smart grid and energy storage under the U.S.–India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research (PACE-R).

OX2 has placed an order for 31 V126-3.45 MW turbines with power optimised mode to 3.6 MW and Vestas’ de-icing system, reinforcing Vestas’ market-leading position in Norway.

TPI Composites, Inc., the largest U.S.-based independent manufacturer of composite wind blades, has announced that it has extended and expanded its long-term agreement with Nordex to continue to supply wind blades from its existing Izmir, Turkey manufacturing facility through 2020.

Cubico Sustainable Investments, a global leader in renewable energy and water investment, has announced that it has acquired, with its partner Plenium Partners, a 67 MW wind farm in Valencia from Enerfin, one of Spain’s leading wind farm developers and operators and a subsidiary of Elecnor.

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, in collaboration with Centrica, has successfully delivered the first in-field measurement campaign under its industry-leading blade leading edge programme (BLEEP), and concluded that an uplift in annual energy production (AEP) of between 1.5 to 2% is possible following the repair of moderate blade erosion.

UD study reports offshore wind in Cape Wind may be more powerful, turbulent than expected

The power of offshore wind

396-MW German offshore wind farm development project raises EUR 1.6 billion / Represents one of the largest project financed offshore wind projects in the country / Strong equity consortium with Partners Group, InfraRed Capital Partners, DEME and GE / First large-scale commercial deployment of the GE Haliade 150-6MW turbine.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law this week a piece of legislation that will transform the U.S. offshore wind market and catapult the industry into a thriving source of clean energy for New England ratepayers.

Cable and pipe sealing solutions provider Roxtec has acquired Roxtec BV from Arie Sturm and Wim Jansen. Roxtec BV, with thirteen employees, has been the group’s distributor in the Netherlands since 1994.

E.ON and Statoil gave the green light in May 2016 to the construction of the 385 MW “Arkona Becken Südost” wind farm, 35 km northeast of the island of Rügen. The use of seismic surface surveys made it possible to stick to schedule on this € 1.2 billion project despite changes to the wind farm design - 60 turbines instead of 80 because of the switch to the larger 6 MW class - without the need for further post-surveys.

The global wind Operations and Maintenance (O&M) is estimated to increase from $10 billion in 2015 to $17 billion by 2020, at a compound annual growth rate of 11.2%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData.

Positioning itself for the expanding onshore wind market, Ramboll has acquired BBB Umwelttechnik GmbH and CUBE Engineering GmbH. With BBB and CUBE’s 85 employees, Ramboll will have close to 350 experts providing consultancy services on wind energy globally.

Senvion, a leading global manufacturer of wind turbines, has signed definitive agreements to acquire the wind turbine nacelle production facilities and infrastructure, complete product portfolio suite, wind turbine inventory and the service operations of Kenersys India Private Limited, in Baramati, India, in order to further move ahead with its market penetration of its new core markets.

How to erect a wind turbine?

The Swiss Wind Energy Association Suisse Eole explains in a new video how a wind turbine is erected and which requirements apply in transport, construction and operation of a modern facility.

Whether it is a gentle breeze or a violent storm, with the ultrasound sensor u[sonic] everything revolves around the wind direction and speed. Wind speed can be measured up to 75 m/s, the measuring instrument itself does not move at all in this process.

Department Assessing Competitive Interest in Proposed Floating Wind Turbine Project Site Offshore Morro Bay

BOEM Announces Major Advance in Developing Wind Energy Offshore California

New wind turbine at Old Whittington waste water treatment works

A single wind turbine has been installed at Old Whittington waste water treatment works in Chesterfield to increase the amount of renewable energy generated onsite.

DONG Energy has welcomed the decision of the Secretary of State for Energy to grant development consent for the Hornsea Project Two offshore wind farm, located 89 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast.

Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multifaceted renewable energy company with a broad investment strategy in renewable energy projects, had appointed 8.2 Consulting AG as technical advisor for due diligence services considering an investment in a 1.5GW portfolio of different offshore projects on the European market.

Rhyd-y-Groes Wind Farm repower to go ahead

Rhyd-y-Groes Wind Farm owned by TPG Wind Ltd, a joint venture between E.ON and Eurus Energy, received planning consent last week from Anglesey County Council to be repowered.

International law firm Watson Farley & Williams has advised Erste Nordsee-Offshore-Holding GmbH, a joint subsidiary of STRABAG SE and, indirectly, Etanax GmbH, on the legal and tax aspects of its sale of the offshore wind farm project “Global Tech II” to leading Swedish utility Vattenfall. The parties have agreed to not disclose the purchase price.

The first connection of the new SMST M series Telescopic Access Bridge (TAB) is a fact. Recently, the gangway is installed on board of multipurpose vessel Abis Duisburg for support during grouting operations. Personnel of Offshore Windforce WIK VOF now walk safely from vessel to windfarm structure. Since the first connection, more than 200 safe transfers already have been made.

Photo Story: Siemens successfully installs offshore grid connection

The offshore substation topside sets sail for Dudgeon offshore wind farm – installation completed

Africa, a continent of contrasts. This is still the case when you take a closer look at the energy supply. Two projects from different countries show the challenges wind industry is to face if they want to get involved locally.

Mainstream leads largest and most competitive energy tender in Chilean history with award of 986 megawatts / Tender seven times oversubscribed – 84 companies submitted 85,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of bids for just over 12,000 GWh of available power / The awarded projects are located throughout Chile and are scheduled to begin supplying energy from January 2021

Order for 48 units of S97 120m Hybrid Tower and 15 units of S97 90m tubular tower with a rated capacity of 2.1 MW each / Project to be commissioned in Andhra Pradesh by March 2017 / Project will provide power to over 70,000 households and offset 0.28 million tonnes CO2 emissions annually

nkt cables has supplied the 72 kV connector which enables transmission of power from one of the two V164 8MW prototype wind turbines from MHI Vestas installed in Maade, near Esbjerg on Denmark’s west coast. The two wind turbines, which are the largest on the market, provide power to approximately 18,000 Danish households.

Lens Technology is First Supplier to Commit to 100% Renewable Energy for All Apple Operations / All 14 Final Assembly Sites in China are Now Zero Waste Compliant

The Company will build a 183 MW wind farm in the region of La Araucanía to cover the output won at auction / ACCIONA was awarded the new output in the National Electricity Commission’s largest energy tender to date, in which 84 national and international companies took part

New Major Assignment for Wind Innovation

Dutch offshore shipping company, C-bed Floating Hotels, presents a new major assignment for their DP2 Walk-2-Work vessel, Wind Innovation.

New office building for ELA Container Offshore GmbH in Haren, Germany

New telephone number from now on: +49 5932 7323-500

wpd has taken part in the largest tender for the supply of electricity in Chile's history and distanced its competitors in the market. As the Energy Ministry officially announced on Wednesday evening, three projects with wpd's participation have been accepted. In the process, wpd has secured so-called "Power Purchase Agreements" (PPA) for 786.8 GWh per year with a term of 20 years from 2021.

Apple Blossom for Vestas

The Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas has received a new order from the United States / 29 V126-3.45 MW turbines are headed to Michigan / Versatile 3 MW platform

Energy-related CO2 emissions from natural gas surpass coal as fuel use patterns change

Energy-associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from natural gas are expected to surpass those from coal for the first time since 1972.

The construction of the Baltic Sea wind farm Wikinger in Germany is running at full speed. Currently, the piles and foundations for the turbines are put into water and the substation is expected to arrive at the construction site later this month.

LIOS Technology has won the contract based on the best technical and economical solution. The decision is based on a several months long trial comparing DTS solutions from different vendors.

EDF EN Canada Inc., a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles Group, today announced the closing of the transaction by which it divested 15% undivided interests in the 350 megawatt Riviere-du-Moulin Wind Project. The interests has been acquired by the Regional County Muncipality (RCM) of Charlevoix and Fjord-du Saguenay (5%), the Innu of Mashteuiatsh and Essipit First Nations (5%), and the Huron Wendat Nation (5%).

The company has received the go-ahead to commence development on its projects covered by the specific Canary Islands wind power quota tax scheme / Las Aulagas (13.8 MW) and Chimiche II (18.4 MW) wind farms to be located on island of Tenerife

While federal government rhetoric towards renewable energy is on the improve the investment drought caused by the anti-renewables Tony Abbott era continues. With the notable exception of the White Rock Wind Farm, no large scale wind farm has proceeded to construction under the Renewable Energy Target alone since 2013.

Will GE buy Adwen?

According to French media reports, GE will make an offer for the purchase of offshore wind turbine manufacturer Adwen later this week.

Northland Power Inc. announced that the final turbine of the Gemini offshore wind project was successfully installed on August 23rd. The 600 MW wind farm is now one major step closer to completion.

The only major surprise in the naming of the new Turnbull cabinet post-election was the joining of the Energy and Environment portfolios. Josh Frydenberg, who had previously held Energy, Resources and Northern Australia was relieved of the latter two and given Environment. On first blush, this looks to be promising development.

American offshore wind power is here

Deepwater Wind completed construction on the country’s first offshore wind farm on Friday, proving to the world that when it comes to offshore wind power, the U.S. is open for business.

Wind power opponents always like to emphasize the bad influence wind power has on tourism, because landscapes suffer when “ugly” turbines (as expressed by the former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott) are cutting the lovely view. A study from Scotland has now investigated how big the impact of wind farms on local tourism really is – with a surprising result.

FUTUREN orders seven wind turbines for a new 21 MW project in France

FUTUREN, an independent producer of renewable energy, is actively pursuing the development of its portfolio, in line with its targets.

Vattenfall, the Swedish energy company, has launched a €3mn scientific research programme to understand the environmental impacts of offshore wind, believed to be the largest scale of its kind.

Q3/2016: Global Wind Power Market Outlook Update

Policy clarity in key markets provides near-term boost to the global outlook, but also impacts long-term growth negatively

GE recently signed new service agreements utilizing Digital Wind Farm technology to boost energy output at two wind projects in central Japan / Kinden’s 30 MW Shirama wind farm near Osaka expects to add up to five percent more annual energy production, while Kandenko’s 22 MW Chosi wind farm near Tokyo expects to boost production by up to two percent / Projects will benefit from GE’s Prognostics and PowerUp* Services applications, part of its Digital Wind Farm ecosystem

Nordex Group confirms negotiations with Acciona Energia in Chile

The Nordex Group has confirmed that negotiations are currently being held with its partner Acciona Energia regarding a 183 MW wind farm in Chile.

According to a survey conducted by Megafon, eight out of ten Danes support the conversion of the energy supply from fossil fuels to renewable energy. At the same time, however, most of the respondents state that they do not know enough about how energy companies contribute to the green transformation.

On behalf of Copenhagen Infrastructure II, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has acquired 100% of Offshore MW LLC, a company holding a 166,886 acre (675 square km) offshore wind energy lease issued by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and located south of Massachusetts.

Wind power keeps the lights on and lowers costs

Wind energy is an increasingly important, reliable and affordable part of America’s electricity mix, despite the misleading claims in Ryan Yonk and Arthur Wardle’s Aug. 19 commentary.

MidAmerican Energy Company received the final order from the Iowa Utilities Board for Wind XI today. The board’s action is a positive step toward the company’s 100 percent renewable vision.

Adwen has begun the civil works on the site where the first prototype of its AD 8-180 will be installed, in Bremerhaven. The main components of the wind turbine will arrive gradually until the installation starts in the fourth quarter of the year.

Australian company Windlab is developing a large-scale wind farm in Kenya

Meru County Governor Peter Munya has concluded a contract with Windlab to develop a large-scale wind farm in the Kenyan County.

Nordex Ireland: 27.5 MW for the Emerald Isle

Brookfield Renewable orders eleven N90/2500 turbines

Southern Company subsidiary acquires Grant Plains wind facility

Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power has announced the acquisition of the 147 megawatt Grant Plains wind facility in Oklahoma from Apex Clean Energy.

Siemens to supply 64 wind turbines for 147 MW onshore project in the U.S.

64 SWT-2.3-108 for Grant Plains Wind in Oklahoma / Clean renewable energy for more than 50,000 U.S. households / Long-term service included

NorSea Group has set up an offshore wind company in Denmark, which can deliver the full range of offshore wind industry services. The company has already won orders in several countries, including Denmark, Germany, UK and Taiwan.

WindEnergy Hamburg 2016, 27 thru 30 September 2016, hall A4, stand 435 / testing and certification services / ongoing operation of older wind farms / introducing the new mobile condition-monitoring system

The Port of Oostende and renewable terminal operator REBO invites the offshore wind industry to convene on 7 September in a forum to encourage ports to work together on offshore wind deployment.

Twin Forks Will Be the Second-Largest Wind Farm in Illinois, Generating 278 MW of Clean Power / Project Expected to Generate Over $45 Million in Revenue for Macon County Schools and Other Local Services

wpd opens up new wind energy market with entry into USA

The wpd Group will in future also be operating in the US market in the shape of wpd wind projects Inc.