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.

Image: Borkum Riffgrund West 2 offshore wind project will generate about 215MW of energy. Photo: courtesy of DONG Energy A/S.

German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex has won a contract from wpd europe for supplying 12 Generation Delta turbines for the 36MW Jokela wind project in Finland.

As well as delivery and installation of the N117/3000 generation delta wind turbines at the farm, Nordex has signed a 15-year premium service contract for the project.

Each of the turbines to be installed at the 36MW wind farm comes with a hub height of 141m and an installed nominal output of 3MW, Nordex said.

Specially designed for medium wind speeds, the turbine models also have their cold-climate versions which Nordex plans to install in view of difficult weather conditions at the site.

The Jokela wind farm is scheduled to be constructed from mid-2015. It is likely to have a production output of 119GWh annually.

Located near the town of Kalajoki in western Finland, the project is wpd’s second collaboration with Nordex. The first was an order for eleven Nordex N117/3000 turbines for the Mäkikangas wind farm.

wpd country manager for Finland and Sweden Birgit Schneider said: “On the basis of their technical specifications, the N117/3000 turbines are a very good fit for the local weather conditions and we are eagerly awaiting the preliminary results following the start-up of our ‘Mäkikangas’ wind farm.

“We are confident of having found in Nordex a partner for the two wind farms capable of providing an ideal combination of technology and service.”

Dutch transmission operator TenneT has selected a consortium of Arcadis and Pondera Consult to compile an environmental impact report (EIR) and drive permit applications for a 1.4GW grid connection intended to support two 700MW offshore wind farms in the North Sea.

The offshore platforms at Borssele wind energy area will house four 350MW units.

Each of the platforms will be connected to TenneT’s expanded 380kV high-voltage substation in Borssele via two 220kV cables.

The consortium will prepare documents required for taking decisions as well as offer strategic advice on the permits process and stakeholder management.

TenneT Offshore NL senior manager Marco Kuijpers said: “The planned route map for the development of renewable energy in the Dutch section of the North Sea is ambitious.

“For large-scale infrastructural projects like this one, proper collaboration with all stakeholders is of great importance.

“We need to join forces and get going with the clearly-structured plan for the development of offshore wind presented in September by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.”

Borssele wind energy area is the first of the three government-selected zones for construction of 3.5GW offshore wind energy in the Netherlands.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands has selected TenneT as operator of the offshore grids which will be set up for the wind projects.

The UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) has bought a 20% stake in Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm, England, for £240m.

The 317MW wind farm is owned by Statkraft and operator Statoil through Scira Offshore Energy.

After the deal, Statoil and Statkraft will own a 40% stake each in the project.

Sheringham Shoal is located in the Greater Wash area, between 17km and 23km off the coast of Norfolk. It has been operating since October 2012.

The wind farm generates more than 1.1TWh of net renewable electricity annually, which is sufficient to power around 220,000 homes.

GIB sees the investment as part of a wider strategy to strengthen the UK offshore wind sector. The sale will provide Statoil and Statkraft with funds that can be invested in new renewable projects.

The bank expects the move to also attract new investors into the sector.

GIB plans to create an operating offshore wind fund and transfer the stake in Sheringham to the fund as seed asset.

UK GIB CEO Shaun Kingsbury said: “This is an important investment for the UK offshore wind sector in two respects.

“Firstly, it allows two strategically important investors, Statkraft and Statoil, to take part of their investment in an operating project and reinvest it in other projects.

“Secondly, we intend, in time, to transfer the asset to our proposed operating offshore wind fund, which is intended to attract new investors and new capital to the UK.”

GIB has so far invested around £620m in five offshore wind projects in the UK, with a total capacity of more than 1.8GW.

Statkraft and Statoil have plans to develop more offshore wind projects in the UK, including the 402MW Dudgeon offshore wind project under construction just off the Norfolk coast. It is expected to be commissioned in 2017.

Statkraft senior vice-president for offshore wind lav Hetland said: “As Europe’s leader in renewable energy and a long-term investor in the UK, we have firm growth ambitions in the UK’s offshore wind sector.

“This agreement enables further investments in project development while at the same time maintaining our industrial role as operator of Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm.”

Denmark-based DONG Energy has been selected by the Isle of Man government in the UK for construction of a 700MW offshore wind power project in the Irish Sea.

Parts of the territorial waters and seabed under the Isle of Man will be leased for tidal and offshore power developments, reports Reuters.

DONG Energy won the bid for the lease and will now set up the wind farm off the east coast of the Isle of Man. Dutch energy firm Tocardo Tidal Energy has also received another lease from the government for surveying a potential tidal project.

Meanwhile, local firm Manx Tidal Energy has won two more leases also for tidal power development in the territory.

Possible sites for the tidal energy schemes will be around the Point of Ayre, Calf of Man and Castletown, according to Reuters. The government is expecting the leases to generate around £5m ($8m) annually.

Leases are granted for 25 years, however can be further extended for another 25 years, reports ReNews.

Power generated from the sites will be supplied to meet energy requirements in the UK. Surveys for the project sites are likely to start by 2015.

UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has granted the development consent order for the Walney Extension offshore wind farm to Danish developer DONG Energy.

The consent order covers all aspects of the project, including the turbines, offshore and onshore substations, array cables and export cable.

These developments are an extension for the Walney I and II offshore wind farms. The project will be located off the Walney Island amidst the Irish Sea. This setting promises high-wind potential but also difficult ground conditions.

Up to 207 wind turbines are likely to be installed at the farm, informed DECC. Once operational, it will power more than half a million UK households.

UK energy and climate change secretary Edward Davey said: “Another large wind farm is now closer to being built and each one gives us more home-grown, clean and secure energy supplies.

“This government has worked tirelessly to re-balance the economy and create more green jobs. This project alone is expected to create 230 new jobs during the construction phase and many more opportunities throughout the UK economy.

Expected to be built over four years from 2016 to 2019 with 6MW to 8MW turbines, the project can generate 185 jobs annually over its expected 25-year lifespan.

Walney Extension is one of five offshore wind projects and one of the three DONG Energy projects, which had signed up to the Contract for Difference, aiming at low-carbon power generation.

DONG Energy UK Wind Power vice-president Benj Sykes said: “Walney Extension is expected to have generation capacity of up to 660MW, with the potential to power up to half a million homes.

“This decision to grant development consent now clears the way for the company to make a final investment decision on the project.

“With consent also granted to the Burbo Bank Extension project recently, this really underlines our commitment to investing in the UK and helping us move towards a low carbon economy.”

The final investment decision for the project is yet to be taken by the developers.

ScottishPower Renewables, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, and Dong Energy have opened the 389MW West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm, which is a major renewable project for the UK.

The new facility is located in the Irish Sea.

UK Energy Secretary Edward Davey cut the ribbon for the €2bn facility, which is equipped with 108 of Siemens’ 3.6MW wind turbines and has more than 200km of undersea cable installations.

Standing almost 20km away from the Barrow-in-Furness coastline in North West England, the now-operational wind farm will generate enough electricity to power 280,000 UK households.

A new £50m offshore wind terminal has been built at Belfast Harbour to support the project, which is the first purpose-built offshore wind installation and pre-assembly harbour in the UK and Ireland.

Energy secretary Edward Davey said: “This wind farm will generate enough clean electricity to power more than a quarter of a million homes and give the local economy a major and sustained boost.

“We want an energy mix that is built on diverse, home-grown sources to make sure our supplies are clean and secure. Wind has a huge role to play, which is why the UK is the best place in the world to invest in offshore wind projects.”

ScottishPower chairman Ignacio Galan said: “West of Duddon Sands is the first offshore wind farm in the UK to use such highly advanced construction methods, allowing us to complete the project months ahead of schedule.

“It has tested the UK’s ability to deliver major renewable energy projects, in terms of workforce skills, supply chain depth, facilities and logistics.”

Dong Energy wind power executive vice-president Samuel Leupold stated: “The UK is an important market for our company and we have committed investments totalling more than £5bn here over the last decade. We expect to invest a similar sum again by 2020, with another offshore wind farm under construction, and four more in planning or development.”

The West of Duddon Sands facility is the eighth operational wind farm for Dong Energy in the UK.

Danish wind manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems has received an order for 20 wind turbines from Steag for the Suloglu wind power plant in Edirne, Western Turkey.

Under the deal, Vestas will be responsible for the supply, installation, and commissioning of the V126-3.3MW turbines at the facility, for a total capacity of 66MW.

The V126-3.3MW wind turbine model from the Vestas features structural shell blades and has a hub height of 117m, making them suitablefor the low-wind sites. Vestas is likely to deliver the turbines during the second quarter of 2015.

Expected to be operational by the end of 2015, the Suloglu facility will produce around 234,000MWh of wind power annually, enough for over 40,000 Turkish residents.

In addition to the turbine deliveries, the deal also includes a ten-year full-scope AOM 4000 (Active Output Management) service and availability agreement to maximise the wind turbines’ performance and bolster the customer’s business case certainty.

Vestas Mediterranean president Marco Graziano said: “This project strengthens our position in Turkey and confirms our forward momentum in one of Vestas’ key markets.

“The Suloglu wind power plant marks another important milestone in Turkey’s developing wind energy market, as well as our strong partnership with Steag GmbH.”

This is fourth order for Vestas this year from Turkey, but the first one for its V126-3.3 MW turbine models, the company said in a statement.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey has officially opened the 389MW West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm which reached full power output more than two months early.

The renewable energy project developed by DONG Energy and ScottishPower Renewables in the Irish Sea is now fully operational and will generate enough electricity to meet the annual demand of approximately 280,000 homes.

Approximately 1,000 people were employed on the project which has also seen more than 200 km of undersea cabling installed. The total area covered by the wind farm is 67km² and each of the 108 turbines has a capacity of 3.6MW.

Ed Davey said: “This wind farm will generate enough clean electricity to power more than a quarter of a million homes and give the local economy a major and sustained boost.

“We want an energy mix that is built on diverse, home grown sources to make sure our supplies are clean and secure. Wind has a huge role to play, which is why the UK is the best place in the world to invest in offshore wind projects.”

Highly advanced

One of the benefits to the project has been the new £50m offshore wind terminal at Belfast Harbour, the first purpose-built offshore wind installation and pre-assembly harbour in the UK and Ireland.

ScottishPower and Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galan said: “West of Duddon Sands is the first offshore wind farm in the UK to use such highly advanced construction methods, allowing us to complete the project months ahead of schedule.

“In the past, the type of storm force winds that we experienced off the west coast of the UK last winter would have resulted in months of delays and cancelled operations. But working in tandem with two highly sophisticated installation vessels, all supported by the excellent facilities at Belfast, has seen one of the most efficient offshore projects ever delivered in the UK.”

Lois Vallely

A blustery Sunday saw 24% of the UK’s electricity supplied by wind.

And a gusty weekend throughout led to a number of coal plants being taken offline as they were surplus to requirements.

It follows a record-breaking summer for the renewables industry, as wind overtook coal-fired plants for generation on five separate occasions in August – the first time this has ever happened.

RenewableUK director of external affairs Jennifer Webber said: “This year has seen successive new records for wind generation and this latest evidence shows it’s more than capable of stepping in when traditional sources of generation go offline without warning. As we can expect more of these outages in the future, it’s reassuring to know we have wind filling the energy gap.

“Wind power is often used as a convenient whipping boy by political opponents and vested interests; all the while, it’s been quietly powering millions of homes across the UK and providing a robust response to its vocal detractors.”

The banner year looks set to continue as the Met Office has warned that next week the UK could be hit by 50mph winds from Hurricane Fay.

The renewables industry will actually be hoping wind speeds don’t get too high, as some turbines have to be deactivated in winds above 62mph.

Stateside success

The renewable revolution appears to be taking hold on both sides of the Atlantic, as a Greenpeace Energydesk investigation today (20 OCtober) revealed that wind power, not shale gas, was the biggest single cause of the fall in US carbon emissions from coal use.

Despite the fanfare surrounding the shale gas boom, of the 16% fall in US carbon emissions since 2007, only around a third (30%) came from switching from coal to gas because natural gas still emits CO2. By contrast, 40% came from the switch from coal to renewables and the remaining 30% from improved efficiency.

Commenting on the findings, Greenpeace energy analyst Lauri Myllyvirta said: “Ahead of a crunch year for global negotiations on a new climate deal, all the evidence points to clean technologies and smarter energy use as the most effective solutions to tackle climate change. Our political leaders will do well to remember this.”

Brad Allen