News Archive October 2022

South Wales gets wind/storage combo

RES, one of the world’s leading renewable energy developers, has received approval for Upper Ogmore Wind Farm and energy storage project.

Vattenfall exercises right of entry in Germany

Vattenfall has obtained the right to develop the N-7.2 offshore wind power project off the German North Sea coast after having exercised its right of entry.

Europe needs to interconnect its electricity grid

The EU’s future-proof electricity grid will need many more onshore and offshore cross-border interconnectors.

Ørsted to reorganize its corporate structure

To keep up with an increasingly complex environment to operate in, Ørsted has announced the implementation of a new organisational structure and changes to executive management.

The MOU includes commitments to create jobs for local and diverse workers and to comply with the labor requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, including paying prevailing wages and utilizing apprentices.

Vattenfall has signed a contract with Siemens Energy and Aker Solutions AS to deliver grid connection infrastructure for the Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm off the British coast.

InfraRed Capital Partners to acquire stakes in four wind farms

InfraRed acquires stakes in four US wind farms from Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp.

ENERCON extends use of new E-nacelle

Following on from the EP5 platform, ENERCON is now also introducing the E-nacelle to the EP3 platform.

BayWa r.e. and BT Group sign Virtual PPA in the UK

German BayWa r.e. and BT Group signed a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) for the Dalquhandy onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Vestas awarded 846 MW order for Latin America's largest wind farm

Engie Brasil Energia has signed an agreement with Vestas for the Serra de Assuruá wind farm in Brazil.

AkzoNobel provides Q3 update

Current demand trends are expected to continue in Q4, whilst benefits will come from the company’s own initiatives to reduce costs, improve working capital and ongoing pricing initiatives.

Vestas wins Japanese order

Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas will supply the 50 MW SGET Iwaizumi Wind Farm in Iwate prefecture, Japan.

Equinor to construct its first battery storage project

This will be the first commercial battery storage asset for Equinor, and the first project realized from the strategic partnership between Equinor and Noriker Power.

Siemens Gamesa announces 5.X platform upgrade to 7-MW. The Siemens Gamesa 5.X platform is one of the most competitive in the onshore landscape and has reached over 4.5GW in sales globally since its launch.

Wanted: Wind technicians

Rapid growth of the wind industry is generating huge demand for skilled workforce, a GWEC report reveals today.

Pitch controls and pitch drives are used to reliably adjust the blade angle to the wind in wind turbines. These are also a guarantee for the best possible energy yield from wind power and must work reliably over the entire service life of the plant. Current development trends show a continuous increase in pitch activity.

Renewables crossed 10 % line in global power generation last year

At the same time overall electricity demand, production from coal-fired power plants, and emissions all surged in 2021.

There's no getting around XERVON Wind at the moment as was to be seen last week at WindEnergy 2022 in Hamburg: entering the exhibition grounds, visitors started their stroll with bags with the XERVON Wind logo.

RWE announces bid for offshore wind seabed permit in Poland

RWE has submitted a bid for the up to 1.5-gigawatts site, located around 75 kilometres off the coast of Ustka in the Baltic Sea.

New energy developer Envusa Energy launched in South Africa

Anglo American and EDF Renewables announced their agreement to form a new jointly owned company, Envusa Energy, to develop wind and solar projects in South Africa.

Ark Energy and Telstra sign PPA in Australia

Ark Energy has signed a PPA with Telstra, to supply the telco with renewable electricity from its share of the 923.4MW MacIntyre Wind Farm.

Belgium enters race for first artificial energy island

Transmission grid operator Elia presented its plans for an energy island in the North Sea, which will be called the Princess Elisabeth Island.

For small and medium-sized wind turbines, the blade tip brake used must be compact. This sits at the end of the rotor blades and leads to the aerodynamic deceleration of the rotor by adjusting the blade tip. This brake can be hydraulically driven.

In the event of an emergency or planned maintenance/service, the turning of the fast shaft of the gearbox in a wind turbine must be braked safely or kept safe after stopping. For this purpose, a disc brake is positioned on the shaft in medium and large wind turbines. This can be reliably triggered and operated by a hydraulic power pack with attached manifold. Depending on the size of the brakes, HAWE Hydraulik quickly and easily designs the right compact hydraulic power pack from the modular system.

Vestas awarded U.S. offshore wind contract

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind has cosen Vestas to provide its V236-15.0 MW™ offshore wind turbines for its 1.5 GW offshore wind project in New Jersey.

Nexans wins Empire Wind export cable job

Nexans will design and manufacture, as well as lay and protect the export cables for the Empire Wind OWF by Equinor and bp.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released a long-term evaluation of the cybersecurity considerations associated with distributed energy resources (DER), such as distributed solar, storage, and other clean energy technologies, and the potential risks to the electric grid over the next ten years.

Energy and marine consultancy ABL Group has been awarded a contract to provide marine warranty survey (MWS) services on the Greenlink interconnector - a 500MW interconnector linking power networks in Ireland and Great Britain.

Making their wind farms more sustainable is one of the most important facts when it comes to using wooden turbine towers. RES now signed an agreement with Modvion, a Swedish manufacturer of such towers. The letter of intend says that Modvion will supply RES developed wind farms with up to 20 towers per year from 2026 to 2036.

In their newly founded Joint Research Centre they will also explore industrial waste energy recovery, energy conversion and storage and waste reduction and recycling.

Ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Washington on 12-13 October 2022, this letter has been sent to all G20 Heads of State and selected world leaders.

ACORE on plans to expand transmission system

FERC's plans to improve generator interconnection procedures and agreements are "greatly appreciated" but need to be completed.

New Report Reveals U.S. Saw 60 Percent Growth in Offshore Wind Long-Term Targets in Q3

Business Network for Offshore Wind’s inaugural quarterly report details market trends, supply chain and technology advancements.

- Enertect PC+ coating solution in the final round for the CLEPA Innovation Award 2022 - Up to 20 percent less CO?: Enertect PC+ makes metal bipolar plates for fuel cells even more sustainable - Successful modular coating system supplemented with new product family for sustainable hydrogen technology

WindEurope welcomes the announcement by Vestas to build a nacelle factory near Szczecin in Poland for offshore wind turbines. Poland already has a strong supply chain for offshore and onshore wind. Especially in the north of the country where coastal areas which had strong shipbuilding and other maritime industries now have jobs and growth from making foundations, blades and other equipment for wind energy.

RES, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, has today announced the sale of Corlacky Hill Wind Farm to ERG UK Holding Ltd, a company owned by ERG, a leading European wind energy producer. RES is delighted to agree the sale, making Corlacky Hill Wind Farm the third project RES and ERG have partnered on. The project will consist of 11 turbines with an expected total installed capacity of up to 47 MW, located near Swatragh.

DEME Offshore US contracts Seaqualize for first offshore wind feeder barge operations in the USA

Installation for first US commercial scale offshore wind farm 'Vineyard Wind' expected to start in June 2023

- Siemens Energy to become main supplier for the onshore substation and HSM Offshore Energy for the substation at sea - Early works agreements signed with both suppliers - Thor will supply green electricity for more than one million Danish households

- Consultation launched to give local communities the chance to provide feedback regarding the proposed wind farm - Online and face-to-face consultation on the project’s latest proposals runs until Friday 09 December 2022 - Five events to be held at locations along the proposed cable route in Tendring, Essex

Biden-Harris Administration Announces First-Ever Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Pacific

California sale opens new opportunities for U.S. floating offshore wind

The Antaris 12 kW in Vietnam

Antaris wind turbines are "Made in Germany" and are installed worldwide.

The Global CTO position will help to accelerate harmonization and standardization of technologies across the company / Pilgaard Rasmussen was previously the Head of Offshore Technology / He will be a member of the Executive Committee and will be based in Pamplona, Spain

Productivity, efficiency and reliability are becoming increasingly important for achieving the ambitious expansion targets for energy generation from renewable sources. This was particularly evident at WindEnergy 2022 in Hamburg at the end of last month.

Largest battery project built by ABO Wind to date connected to the grid / The plant in Kells, Northern Ireland one of the fastest storage systems in the world / The plant is owned by SUSI Partners’ energy storage fund / Many other storage projects in development

The facility, situated in Budzyn – western Poland, has a total capacity of 70 MW and will produce enough energy to power more than 85,000 households / The undertaking reflects EDPR’s commitment to the energy transition and energy independence of Poland, and Europe as a whole / The undertaking reflects EDPR’s commitment to the energy transition and energy independence of Poland, and Europe as a whole.

RWE proud to be part of ORE Catapult’s programme to accelerate new technology innovations for offshore wind / Programme enhances the UK’s offshore wind supply chain, enabling greater UK content / RWE’s Sofia team sets three challenges to support innovative thinking and cost reductions

Report: Unlocking Indonesia's untapped renewable energy potential

The IRENA Outlook shows that Indonesia’s share of renewable energy could reach two-thirds of the country’s total energy mix in 2050, up from just 14 per cent today.

PNE statement concerning market rumours

Photon Management GmbH, a company controlled by Morgan Stanley, is the largest shareholder in PNE AG.

Ørsted sells US assets to ECP

Developer Ørsted sells three onshore wind farms and one solar farm to Energy Capital Partners.

Ocean Winds awarded environmental decision for Polish wind farm

The decision was taken by the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOS) for the BC-Wind offshore wind farm.

Nordex wins 82 MW order from Germany

The Nordex Group is to supply 12 N163/6.X turbines to be distributed among four wind farm sections in eastern Lower Saxony, Germany.

Maritime Spatial Planning essential tool for offshore wind development

The REPowerEU Plan calls on Member States to identify dedicated areas in which renewable energy sources can be built with low environmental risks.

Envision Energy signs 20-year PPA in Bangladesh

Envision Energy has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Bangladesh's state-owned utility, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the company announced.

Latin America offshore wind to see 34 GW of installed capacity by 2050

Activity will be driven by off-grid green hydrogen projects, with Brazil and Colombia leading the way

FERC foresees very strong solar and wind growth in the near-term

Renewables provide almost 70% of new US capacity in first two-thirds of 2022 and the trend will continue.

Westwood: "Incredibly exciting time for the offshore wind market"

Westwood says offshore wind will continue to grow rapidly as new countries enter the market.

Borealis and Axpo Nordic sign wind PPA in Sweden

Under the agreement announced today, Axpo will supply Borealis with renewable electricity generated by the 60 MW Hultema wind farm in Sweden

"Time is not on our side"

WMO’s State of Climate Services annual report, which includes inputs from 26 different organizations, focuses on energy this year - and it's not looking good.

RES and Modvion to work together

RES and Modvion have signed a letter of intent to include Modvion’s wooden wind turbine towers in future wind energy projects.

Statkraft analyses global energy market towards 2050

Statkraft’s new analysis estimates an average yearly increase of solar capacity in the EU of between 45 and 52 GW towards 2030 way more than before war against Ukraine.

Ørsted and CIP to develop 5.2 GW of offshore wind projects in Denmark

Ørsted and CIP have decided to join forces in a new 50/50 partnership to develop a number of offshore wind projects under the open-door scheme in Denmark.

To seize the opportunities, RenewableUK is urging Rishi Sunak to reassess of some of the Conservatives’ recent measures which risk undermining confidence among investors, such as the energy price cap.

The absence of guidelines and models to fully understand bottom-impact forces and operations in the semi-jacked condition triggered the initial formation of the JIP in November 2020.

For the LEE NRW and the WWEA, especially community energy groups with their local roots are “indispensable drivers for the transformation of the energy world”, says Gellert. “We need many more women in these initiatives with their life experiences, ideas and know-how to put the energy transition on a broader social footing.”

European energy markets are being stress-tested as the region simultaneously tackles two major challenges: figuring out how to rapidly establish energy independence from Russia, while also transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

REA responds to the announcement of Rishi Sunak as the next UK Prime Minister / Recent political uncertainty has posed a threat to the deployment of renewables and clean technologies that can help achieve the overall goal of reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050 / The REA calls on Sunak to prioritise achieving net zero as part of his mission to tackle the UK’s “profound economic crisis.”

Ørsted and WWF announce partnership

The partnership wants to innovate and test tangible initiatives that improve ocean biodiversity in general and can be used as additional measures to achieve a net-positive impact on biodiversity.

Costs for wind power have fallen sharply over the past 7 years, with the latest round of offshore wind projects coming in 70% cheaper than those awarded contracts in 2015, says RenewableUK's latest analysis.

The collaboration between Simply Blue Group and MPS would see six wind turbines deployed on the MPS floating platform, PelaFlex, in waters between 60 and 100m in depth, delivering a total capacity of 100MW.

Calypso on its way to Norway

Van Oord’s new cable-laying vessel Calypso is on its way to the Vard Brattvaag yard in Norway for construction finishing

Wales wants to produce its own renewable energy

The Welsh Government has announced to create a state-owned renewable energy producer to scale up rthe enewable energy rollout in the country.

GE announces Q3 results

GE plans to initiate a restructuring program across its GE Vernova businesses, primarily at Renewable Energy, that is expected to deliver $0.5 billion in annualized savings.

Australia fights high electricity prices

Since Russia's war against Ukraine, energy prices have skyrocketed worldwide like in Australia with the government taking countermeasures and thus coming under oppositional fire.

TotalEnergies and Casa dos Ventos create joint venture

The two companies want to jointly develop, build and operate the renewable portfolio of Casa Dos Ventos in Brazil.

R&D essential for reaching climate goals

Targeted R&I investments for wind energy will be key for reaching the European Commission's goal of 510 GW of wind by 2030.

Floating offshore wind bears huge opportunity for the UK

“Floating wind is a very big opportunity for global growth and the UK has a leading position in this," says RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail.

The Danish Energy Agency and the Municipality of Frederikshavn have granted construction permits for European Energy’s offshore wind power project by the Danish city of Frederikshavn.

DNV has been appointed by Elenergy Co Ltd, a Korean renewable energy development company, as owner’s engineer for its 1.5 GW fixed-bottom Chujin offshore wind project.

Pre-sealing solution by Roxtec

It is important to prevent water, humidity, and dust to maintain optimum operating conditions for electrical equipment such as switchgear.

It's the beginning of the end

Rystad Energy research shows that with recent gas prices, it would be 10 times more expensive to operate gas-fired power plants in the long-term than to build new solar PV capacity in Europe.

UK sets new wind energy production record

On Wednesday, onshore and offshore wind farms in the UK have generated a record high of 19,936 MW, more than 52 % of the nation's electricity.

RES awarded O&M contract for Scottish wind farm

22.5 MW Freasdail Wind Farm is located on The Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland.

“Energy markets and policies have changed as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, not just for the time being, but for decades to come,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

Vestas finishes production of first blade for 15 MW turbine

The design of the blade has required an extension and retooling of Vestas’ existing blade production facility at Nakskov in Denmark, because it is 115.5 m long.

NKT inaugurates new extrusion tower in Sweden

The official name of the tower is NKT Lighthouse and with a height of 150 meters it stands as a landmark for the city of Karlskrona in Sweden.

Flender puts test systems for gearboxes and drivetrains into operation

R&D Test Systems has delivered two new turnkey End-Of-Line test systems to their production facilities.

Following previous subsea surveys, rock bag placement was selected from a number of options considered by the operator as the most suitable solution to eliminate or vastly reduce excess cable movement of the Cable Protection System.