Apple is to invest €1.7bn to build and operate two data centres in Europe that will be 100pc powered by renewable energy. One will be located in Athenry on Ireland’s west coast and the other in Denmark’s central Jutland.

Dong Energy has selected MHI Vestas Offshore Wind to be the turbine supplier for the initial phase of Walney extension offshore wind farm in the UK.

The project will be split into two phases, with each of these phases generating 330MW of renewable power.

Under the deal, MHI Vestas will supply V164-8.0MW wind turbines for phase 1 of the offshore project.

The extension project is located almost 19km away from the UK east coast. It is adjacent to the 367.2MW Walney offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea.

Construction for the project has been scheduled to start from 2016.

Dong Energy Wind Power executive vice-president Samuel Leupold said: “The performance of the V164-8.0MW wind turbine has been a decisive factor in our decision to choose it for phase 1 of the Walney Extension development project.

“A competitive market for all components is essential to the industry in order to lower the cost of offshore wind power.

“I appreciate MHI Vestas Offshore Wind’s efforts in establishing production close to the site and manufacturing the blades for the Walney Extension project in its UK factory on the Isle of Wight.”

The project, however, still awaits final investment decisions.

Dong Energy, the developer for the project, had received approvals for the extension project last year in November.

The project will have a capacity of 660MW. It will feature inter array cables, offshore and onshore export cables within an export cable corridor and offshore and onshore substations connecting it to UK’s National Grid.

Dong Energy has produced power for the first time at the 312MW Borkum Riffgrund 1 wind project in the German North Sea and initiated supply to the national grid.

The offshore wind project will feature 78 Siemens SWT-4.0-130 turbines, which are all likely to be commissioned over the next few months.

Located 54km from the German coast and 37km to the north of Borkum island, the project is expected to produce sufficient power for 320,000 homes annually.

Borkum Riffgrund 1 is a joint venture project, in which Dong Energy owns a 50% stake, with the other 50% being owned by KIRKBI and William Demant Invest.

LEGO Group president and chief executive officer Jørgen Vig Knudstorp said: “It’s an important milestone that the Borkum Riffgrund 1 wind farm has delivered its first electricity, as this wind farm will help us reach our goal of being based 100% on renewable energy by 2020.”

Lego is the parent company for KIRKBI.

Construction work for offshore wind facility was initiated in August 2013.

Dong Energy managing director in Germany Trine Borum Bojsen said: “Borkum Riffgrund 1 is our first German wind farm and we’re more than happy, that we’ve started to deliver CO2-free power to the German grid.”

Dong Energy has acquired the UK-based 1.2GW Hornsea Project One offshore wind project from co-owner SMart Wind.

A joint venture comprising Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Financial Services, SMart Wind sold its 66.66% ownership stake in the offshore development to Dong.

The two partners for the project, SMart Wind and Dong Energy, had signed the deal for the project development in December 2011.

Dong Energy entered a JV with SMart Wind, with an option to become the sole owner for the project once it receives approval from the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

The firm received the federal consent in December 2014.

Featuring farms, the Hornsea Project One will generate enough energy for approximately 800,000 homes in the UK.

Located 120km off the Yorkshire coast, the Hornsea Project One comprises three offshore wind facilities.

Featuring between 150 and 332 wind turbines, the project is expected to enter service around 2020.

Dong Energy Wind Power executive vice-president Samuel Leupold said: “The size and location of Hornsea Project One makes it the world’s first offshore wind farm with a capacity of more than 1GW located far from shore, and it brings some great opportunities for us and the supply chain to take advantage of economies of scale and further drive down the cost of electricity.

“We will now continue on our own to develop the project towards a final investment decision. The size of the project and the excellent wind conditions at site together with our strong focus on cost will make Hornsea one an important milestone towards the €100/MWh target.”

VolkerWessels Boskalis Marine Solutions (VBMS) has won a contract to support installation of export cables at the 600MW Gemini offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.

Dredging and marine contractor Van Oord is the lead contractor for the project, which is located in the Dutch part of the North Sea, 85km north of the Groningen coast.

The Netherlands-based VBMS will assist Van Oord for work on two cable sections having a total length of 11km in the transition area between shallow and deep waters.

Cable-laying vessel Stemat Spirit will be used for the work, which is likely to be mobilised by VBMS in mid-March 2015.

VBMS CEO Arno van Poppel: “After our successful cooperation for the Eneco Luchterduinen OWF last year, we are very pleased to install this export cable for Van Oord and contribute to one of the most productive offshore wind farms in the world.”

The Gemini wind project is owned by a consortium formed by Northland Power, Siemens Financial Services (SFS), Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors, and NV HVC.

The offshore facility will be equipped with 150 wind turbines from Siemens, which will each have a capacity of 4MW.

Once operational, the farm will generate 2.6TWh of electricity a year, which is enough to power around 785,000 households. The project is also expected to reduce 1.25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in a year.

Power utility firm Energie Baden-Württember (EnBW) will sell its 49.89% stake in the 288MW Baltic 2 offshore wind farm in Germany to Macquarie Capital for about €720m.
The wind farm is presently under construction at a 32km distance to the north of the Baltic island Rügen.

EnBW will retain its remaining interest in the project, which will be equipped with 80 wind turbines from Siemens. Approximately 34 of the turbines have already been installed at the facility.
Once operational, the offshore wind farm is likey to generate around 1,200GWh of electricity annually, which will be enough to power around 340,000 households.
“Macquarie’s strong balance sheet has allowed us to actively identify and invest in projects across Europe.
Macquarie Capital Europe head of infrastructure, utilities and renewable Mark Dooley said: “Macquarie’s strong balance sheet has allowed us to actively identify and invest in projects across Europe.
“Given the strong regulatory renewable energy regime, we see Germany as a key market for this type of investment going forward.”
EnBW chief financial officer Thomas Kusterer said: “EnBW has now successfully implemented its second participation model in the area of offshore wind energy.
“With deep experience in infrastructure, Macquarie Capital is the right partner and investor for such an ambitious project.”
The project completion and financial close for the wind farm is likely to be in June 2015.
EnBW wants to invest more than €7bn for strategic restructuring of its activities in the future.
The firm plans to spend around €3.5bn for expanding wind energy portfolio and another €3bn for grid business, as part of its 2020 strategy.

Dong Energy has selected HiDef Aerial Surveying to carry out high resolution digital video aerial surveys at the 258MW Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm in the UK.

The work covers the Liverpool Bay area and the 40km² extension site. It will focus on how red throated divers may be affected by the project.

The surveys are expected to continue into the operational phase of the extension project.

HiDef commercial director Kit Hawkins said: “HiDef is delighted to be involved with the Burbo Bank Extension project, especially given its importance to the UK offshore wind sector.

“We are excited by the possibility of increasing the evidence base regarding the interaction of marine wildlife with offshore wind farms.

“As a company, HiDef strongly shares DONG Energy’s vision that offshore wind is a central part of the future British energy mix, offering long-term energy security to the UK.”

The extension project will be located 8km off the UK coast in Liverpool Bay. It will feature 32 MHI Vestas V164-8MW wind turbines.

Meanwhile, the extension facility will be located next to the existing 90MW Burbo Bank wind farm sited on the Burbo Flats in Liverpool. This is expected to be commissioned in 2017.

After completion, the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm will generate enough energy for about 240,000 households.

Danish power firm Dong Energy has acquired the Borkum Riffgrund West 2 offshore wind project in Germany from Energiekontor.

Application for setting up grid link for the project is likely to happen in 2017 or 2018.

Construction for the project is expected to start by 2020, once grid connection is approved and the developers agree on a final investment decision.

The wind farm will have a generation capacity of 215MW.

It will be located near Dong Energy’s German offshore wind development project 312MW Borkum Riffgrund West 1 project, and will be equipped with 43 turbines.

Dong Energy Wind Power executive vice president Samuel Leupold said: “With the Borkum Riffgrund West 2 project we are now strengthening our post-2020 pipeline.

“Having our other offshore wind project, Borkum Riffgrund West 1 right next to it, there are a number of synergies for the development, construction, and operation of this project.”

As well as the Borkum Riffgrund West 1 and 2 offshore projects in the German North Sea, Dong Energy also has Gode Wind 1+2 with a combined capacity of 582 MW under its portfolio.

Germany plans transition to renewable energy supply, with it needing to install 15GW of offshore wind power by 2030.

With almost one-third of all offshore wind projects in Europe under its portfolio, Dong Energy has built almost 2.5GW of such projects till date. The firm intends to take it up to a total of 3.5GW by 2020.

Eddie O’Connor-led group’s offshore windfarms to be operational by 2020

A consortium led by Eddie O’Connor’s Mainstream Renewable Power (MRP) has been given consent by the UK government to develop a massive 1.2 gigawatt series of windfarms off the coast of Yorkshire.

The Hornsea 1 project, a joint venture between MRP’s SmartWind tie-up with SiemensProject Ventures and also the Danish company Dong Energy, will generate enough electricity to power 800,000 homes.

Mr O’Connor, a former Bord na Mona chief executive, has previously said the initiative could cost up to £3.5 billion (€4.4 billion) to develop. The Irish company owns a third of the project, with Siemens providing much of the financing and MRP contributing much of the development experience.

The windfarms are due to be operational by 2020, the joint venture partners said on Wednesday.

UK planning officials said Hornsea 1, which will incorporate three separate windfarms, will need between 150 and 332 wind turebines, depending upon their size.

Mark Paul

The UK Government has given development consent to Hornsea offshore wind project, which will consist of three wind-generating stations with a combined capacity of up to 1,200MW.

Once operational, the Hornsea Project One is expected to provide ample energy resources to suffice requirement of more than 800,000 homes in the UK.

The project will be located at 64 miles distance from the Yorkshire coast. It is one of eight renewable energy developments awarded a contract for difference (CFD) in April 2014.

The CFDs were a part of the UK Government’s initiatives to attract energy investments and lower renewable power charges for customers.

UK Planning Inspectorate chief executive Simon Ridley said: “The Examining Authority took full account of views from communities, particularly those near the north-east coast of England who might be affected by this proposal, alongside national policy and evidence of the need for the project.”

Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Energy Secretary Ed Davey said: “Making the most of Britain’s home-grown energy is crucial to creating job and business opportunities in the UK, getting the best deal for consumers and reducing our reliance on foreign imports.

“Wind power is vital to this plan, with £14.5bn invested since 2010 into an industry which supports 35,400 jobs.”

SMart Wind, which is a 50:50 joint venture between Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures and DONG Energy, will be taking the project forward.

Fugro GeoConsulting has won a £13m contract for conducting geotechnical surveys for Project One, DECC informs.

Project One is a part of the wider Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm zone, which has energy capacity of 4GW.