Forewind has withdrawn from participating in the 2.4GW Dogger Bank Teesside C and D offshore wind projects, based in the UK North Sea.

The international consortium, formed by energy giants Statoil, Statkraft, RWE and SSE, has reached an agreement with the Crown Estate to cease work on the remaining development consent application for the projects.

Instead the entity will focus on the four Dogger Bank projects, which have already received approval from UK authorities.

Each of the projects, Dogger Bank Creyke Beck A, Dogger Bank Creyke Beck B, Dogger Bank Teesside A, and Dogger Bank Teesside B, are planned to have a generation capacity of 1.2GW.

“These four Dogger Bank projects are a huge commitment and will require significant resources and attention…to progress.”

Forewind said: “These four Dogger Bank projects are a huge commitment and will require significant resources and attention from the owner companies to progress to the next stages.

“Together their capacity is almost equal to the total of all the offshore wind farms currently in operation in the UK.”

Forewind has removed the two projects from its portfolio and returned the development rights in that area of seabed, along with the remainder of the Dogger Bank Zone, to the Crown Estate.

The firm recently received approval from UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to establish the 2.4GW Teesside A and B offshore wind farms.

This decision follows implementation of the Crown Estate’s streamlined initiatives for offshore wind developers to replace their previous zone development agreements with project-specific agreements.

Swiss power and automation technology provider ABB has installed a 320kV converter station called DolWin beta at the 916MW DolWin2 offshore wind project in the German North Sea.

The equipment will be able to connect offshore wind farms in the North Sea’s DolWin cluster with the electricity grid in Germany.

Once operational, the offshore project will have the capacity to meet the energy requirements of more than a million households.

As well as facilitating conversion of the power generated by the offshore wind farms from alternating current (AC) into high-voltage direct current (HVDC), the converter station will ensure its reliable transmission to the mainland.

The entire platform with substructures will weigh around 23,000t and be 100m-long, 70m-wide and 100m-tall.

ABB, which is responsible for the design, engineering, supply and installation of the offshore wind connection, intends to handover the project to Dutch electricity transmission system operator TenneT in mid-2016.

Along with the convertor platform, the scope of the project also includes installation of sea and land cable systems and an onshore converter station.

In addition, the firm was responsible for the DolWin1 grid connection project, which was commissioned and handed over to TenneT in July.

Both DolWin1 and DolWin2 are parts of the German long-term power strategy named ‘Energiewende’.

The European nation intends to shift its focus towards renewable energy, aiming to achieve more than 6.5GW of power generation from offshore wind by 2020, which will be raised to 15GW by 2030.

Spanish company Abengoa has signed a €614m deal to sell 450MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) assets to its renewable yieldco vehicle company Abengoa Yield.

Board of directors of both the firms have approved the acquisition which represents the third asset package deal between Abengoa and Abengoa Yield.

However, closing of the deal is subject to customary approvals.

Abengoa will be entitled to a 51% capital increase that Abengoa Yield has priced to finance this acquisition.

The assets comprise of the Helios 1 and 2 solar complex, totalling 100MW of generation capacity and Solnova 1, 3 and 4 solar firms having a combined generation capacity of 150MW.

Another 70% stake has also been acquired in Helioenergy 1 & 2 solar complex (100 MW), in which Abengoa Yield already owns a 30 % stake.

The Helios, Solnova and Helioenergy complexes are in Spain.

The fourth asset includes a 51% share for the 100MW Kaxu solar plant, which is located in the Kalahari desert in South Africa.

Provision for a call option agreement to purchase up to $100m in concessional assets at a 12% yield will be included in the transaction. The deal in this regard was signed between the two firms in December 2014.

Abengoa Yield expects the new acquisition to generate incremental run rate cash, which will be available for yearly distribution of around $63m before debt service associated with acquisition financing.

Abengoa Yield had formed an exclusive partnership with Abengoa according to which the former gets right of first offer on any proposed sale, transfer or other disposition in the latter’s contracted renewable energy, conventional power, electric transmission or water assets.

The firms mainly deal with renewable assets in the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia and the European Union.

Spain-based Abengoa is a developer for sustainable and innovative technology solutions for the energy and environment sectors.

As well as promoting power generation from renewable resources, the firm is also involved in converting biomass to biofuels and producing potable water from sea water.

Power-Technology

RWE Innogy has officially started operations at the 295MW Nordsee Ost wind farm in North Sea Germany.

The offshore power plant is located nearly 35km north to Heligoland. It covers an area of 24km2 and has been built at water depths of up to 25m.

The wind farm is equipped with 48 wind turbines that can generate enough electricity to power 320,000 households per year.

German Minister of Economics Sigmar Gabriel said: “Offshore wind energy is a strategically important element of Germany’s energy and climate policy and is key to the success of the energy transition.

“Thanks to its continuous input into the grid and its high-electricity yields, offshore power generation makes a crucial contribution towards a diversified and reliable energy supply system.”

RWE has invested more than €1bn for the construction of the project, while a €50m contribution came from the European Union.

RWE will be responsible for operations and servicing of the facility for the next 20 years.

RWE CEO Peter Terium said: “The expansion of renewable energy is one of our main growth areas and offshore wind energy will play a vital role. RWE will become the third largest player in the European offshore market this year.

“And we are growing further: in only one month’s time, we will be commissioning another wind farm, Gwynt y Môr, located off the coast of Wales.”

Power-Technology

UK’s engineering firm Amec Foster Wheeler has completed construction of 250MW Copper Mountain Solar 3 project in Boulder City, Nevada, US.

The solar project is spread across nearly 1,400 acres of land and can generate enough renewable electricity to power 80,000 US households.

Cupertino Electric and Amec Foster Wheeler were the co-developers of the project, which is equipped with more than one million solar modules.

It represents the third phase of Copper Mountain Solar complex construction, which is jointly owned by Sempra US Gas & Power and Consolidated Edison Development (ConEdison Development).

Sempra US Gas & Power president and CEO Patti Wagner said: “Copper Mountain Solar 3 is our largest solar project to date.”

The entire complex can generate 450MW of renewable power, which is enough to meet the energy requirements of 142,000 homes.

Amec Foster Wheeler Power & Process Americas president Tim Gelbar said: “Copper Mountain Solar 3 is the culmination of hard work and a great partnership with Sempra US Gas & Power and Consolidated Edison Development.

“This is a significant project in the solar market and we are delighted to deliver this prominent project, which demonstrates our growing position in renewables and clean energy as well as our ability to leverage our global design, engineering, and project management expertise to deliver projects for our customers.”

Construction works for the project was initiated in 2013.

The development raises Sempra US Gas & Power’s jointly-owned operating solar power portfolio to 660MW.

Power Technology

Vattenfall has started construction of the Kentish Flats Extension, which is the only offshore wind farm being built in UK this year.

Located off the Kent coast, the extension project is expected to cost more than £150m.

It will involve installation of 15 wind turbines at 8km distance from the coast.

The project is an extension of the 90MW Kentish Flats offshore wind facility, which has been operating since September 2005.

Vattenfall project director for Kentish Flats Extension Matthew Green said: “A number of large vessels will be offshore Herne Bay and Whitstable this summer as we add 15 turbines to the existing 30 at Kentish Flats.

“It doesn’t get much tougher than this: piling foundations 30m into the seabed; installing 139.6m-tall turbines weighing 600t over 8km off the coast; and, completing on schedule and to budget with, most importantly, maximum emphasis on safety.”

First power from the 49.5MW scheme is expected to be available later in the year.

Permission for extending the capacity of the existing farm was received in February 2013.

Once operational, the extended offshore wind development will be able to meet the power requirements of nearly 35,000 UK households.

Vattenfall UK country manager Piers Guy said: “It’s important the UK pipeline keeps delivering, and Kentish Flats Extension does that in a modest way, so that British suppliers can maintain a foothold in the sector and help capture the significant economic opportunities that go with it.”

Power Technology

Apple is looking to invest more than €400m directly to fund at least six renewable energy projects in Ireland.

The firm has invited partnership proposals from green energy developers to set up multiple new projects, with each having a power generation capacity of up to 50MW, reports The Irish Times.

Apple has planned the projects to meet the energy requirements of its proposed €850m data centre at Athenry in Galway County, Ireland.

Energy requirements of the data centre, which will support Apple’s services including iTunes, Maps and Siri, is expected to be more than 300MW.

The firm has, however, not specified the source from which the renewable energy for the centre will be derived. Wind farm developers are more likely to be considered for the development.

Apple might sign up for power purchase agreements for the Galway facility, according to a tender on Ariba.com. The firm will consider buying those assets as well, after they become operational.

The power purchase agreements, if any, will cover the duration of 20 years, the Irish daily reported.

The firm is seeking projects from within the Republic of Ireland and wants them to be commissioned by 2017 or 2018. Proximity of the proposed projects to the data centre will be considered as a positive aspect.

Power-Technology

The UK has given a boost to the £1bn plan for the development of world’s first power-generating tidal project in Swansea Bay, as the government revealed negotiations about arranging taxpayer support for it.

Plans for the project have been included in the National Infrastructure Plan 2014, which was published by the HM Treasury ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

The 2014 Project Pipeline Update to the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan also notes how tidal lagoons can bring in up to £5bn of private sector investment in Wales.

The project will be developed by Tidal Lagoon Power. It will house 16 underwater turbines, which will generate enough power for 155,000 homes for 120 years.

Tidal Lagoon Power chief executive Mark Shorrock said: “It’s another positive step towards tidal lagoon infrastructure becoming a mainstream energy solution.

“The Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon provides the key to unlock large quantities of reliable, low-cost, low-carbon electricity for the next 120 years.

“Backing the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon also means backing a catalyst for British industry and exports, a new option for strategic flood defences, an opportunity to regenerate coastal communities and a vision for national energy infrastructure that can work hand-in-hand with nature.”

UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey was quoted by BBC News as saying: “Tidal lagoons alone could provide up to 8% of our power needs, replacing foreign fossil fuels with clean, reliable home-grown electricity.

“That’s why we’re showing investors and developers that we’re serious about tidal lagoon potential and have started in-depth discussions for what could become the world’s first tidal lagoon.”

The British summer may be over but it has ended on a high for the renewables sector, with new records set and wind generation levels exceeding both nuclear and coal.

According to official National Grid statistics, wind overtook coal-fired power plants for generation on five separate occasions in August – the first time this has ever happened.

It provides some consolation for what proved to be a damp-squib August which turned out to be the wettest for a decade and coldest for 21 years as a month’s rain sparked flood warnings nationwide.

Commenting on these statistics, Jennifer Webber, director of external affairs at trade association Renewables UK, said: “Wind energy is taking its place as the UK’s new powerhouse, overtaking coal and nuclear as one of the most important resources we have to keep Britain’s lights on.

“It continues to surpass its own records, and these figures prove that can happen at any time of year. As we approach autumn and winter, we can expect wind to maintain this strong performance and provide electricity when demand is especially high.”

Record-breaker

Wind energy exceeded coal on 3, 9, 11, 12 and 17 August. This strong performance continued towards the end of the month when onshore and offshore wind generated more than the nuclear fleet on 29 August – 5,805MW from wind compared to 5,379MW from nuclear.

On 11 August, wind also set a new daily record when it provided 21% of the UK’s electricity needs. This was exceeded on 17 August when wind energy broke its own record, setting a new figure of 22%. It led to what proved to be the best-performing August to date, with total wind generation at 10% – close behind the 13% record set during December 2013.

Last week, a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed that wind, solar and hydro energy grew at its fastest ever pace in 2013, equating to almost 22% of global power generation.

The Paris-based organisation’s third annual Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report estimated that global renewable energy generation will rise by another 45% to make up nearly 26% of global electricity generation by 2020. But it also warns that annual growth in renewable power will begin to slow after 2014, as policy and market risks threaten to slow deployment.

Luke Nicholls

Babcock & Wilcox Vølund (B&W Vølund), a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. (B&W PGG), has won a contract to build a biomass boiler system for the Skærbækværket power plant in Denmark.

Located near Fredericia, the power plant will have a power generation capacity of 280MW.

The contract is valued at more than $80m.

Under the contract, B&W Vølund will be responsible for designing, manufacturing, supplying, constructing and commissioning of the plant’s boiler system. The contract was booked in the second quarter of 2014.

Owned by DONG Energy Thermal Power, the plant will consist of two 140MW biomass-fired boilers used to supply district heating and power to residents in the region.

The boilers will be fueled primarily by wood chips and other biomass residue.

Engineering and design work on the project will begin soon and construction of the plant is scheduled for completion in April 2017.

B&W PGG president and chief operating officer Randall Data said: “This project reflects B&W’s ongoing strategic effort to deploy its clean energy, biomass and waste-to-energy technologies globally.

“B&W Vølund is a leader in the clean energy technology sphere and its steam generators offer economical and efficient solutions for our customers’ needs to comply with challenging emissions regulations.

“We appreciate this opportunity to serve our customer, DONG Energy.”