Mojo Maritime has developed a marine project planning system called Mermaid to give companies a better understanding of the impact of weather and tidal forces on a project’s schedule.

The company said the aim is to enable enhanced decision making in the early planning stages.
The Mermaid – Marine Economic Risk Management Aid –software simulates marine operations against historical weather and tidal data to support cost-savings through project optimisation.

The system is undergoing testing with a number of clients, with a view to launching towards the end of October, Mojo said.

“The user acceptance testing phase is critical to ensure that that the function, capability and usability of the software has been tested in real world situations,” the company said.

Mojo senior analyst Rich Walker said: “By calibrating accurate weather information dating back over many years (typically between 10 and 23 years), factoring in wave height, sea conditions, wind strength and current velocity and direction, Mermaid enables companies to select the best vessels, ports, methods and processes to suit any proposed project start date.

“This has massive cost-saving implications for a huge variety of marine operations from the offshore renewable market to the oil and gas industries, as well as the shipping and insurance world.”

German manufacturer Nordex is to acquire Spanish company Acciona’s turbine business in a cash and shares deal worth around €785m.

The takeover will create what Nordex called “a new major player in the wind industry” that will reduce overall exposure to “demand swings in individual markets”.

Nordex will pay €366.4m in cash and 16.1m in new shares valued at €26 each for Acciona Windpower. As part of the deal main shareholder Skion/Momentum will also offload some of its Nordex shares to Acciona Energia, which will remain involved in wind farm ownership and operation.

Once the deal is complete Skion/Momentum will hold a 5.7% share in Nordex with Acciona controlling 29.9%. The Spanish company has agreed not to increase its voting position in Nordex above 30% for the next three years.

“Nordex and Acciona Windpower complement each other in a number of important areas,” said the German company.

“Nordex has a strong market position in Europe while Acciona Windpower is well-positioned in the Americas and emerging markets. Nordex products are particularly well-suited for complex projects subject to technical restrictions, while Acciona Windpower’s products are primarily aimed at large-scale wind farms that require efficient and sturdy machines for unconstrained terrains.”

Acciona produces 1.5MW and 3MW turbines for deployment across all wind classes. It has four production facilities located in the US, Brazil and Spain with another under construction in India.

German industry giant Siemens has secured a wind turbine delivery order from Apex Clean Energy for the Grant Wind project in Oklahoma, US.

Located in Grant County, the renewable project will feature 66 Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines.
Each of the turbines to be installed at the facility will have a power rating of 2.3MW, and feature 53m blades, Siemens has said.

Once operational, the firm will be able to meet the energy requirements of around 50,000 average US households.
The firm will also offer remote monitoring and diagnostic services for the turbines in order to boost their performance throughout their operational life, as well as for the project.

Under the terms of the contract, Siemens will also supply a main step up transformer for the project and offer long term service and maintenance for the turbines.

Turbine installation for the facility has been scheduled to start in October this year, while commissioning of the power plant is expected in the spring of 2016.

The order follows another contract awarded to the German company earlier in the year to deliver turbines, service and financing for Apex Clean Energy’s Kay wind project in Kay County, Oklahoma.

Siemens wind power and renewables division onshore CEO Thomas Richterich said: “With this second order in one year, Apex Clean Energy continues our successful collaboration.

“We are proud to meet the customers demand with our full spectrum of resources, including equipment, service and financing.”
Once operational, the 299MW Kay wind project is expected to meet the electricity demands of 100,000 average US homes annually.

Danish power equipment manufacturer Vestas has won two orders for the delivery of wind turbines, with one in the US for 75 turbines, and other in Finland for 27.

The firm will be delivering 75 of its 2MW turbines under a firm and unconditional order for a US company, whose name has not been disclosed.

Under the scope of the contract, Vestas will be responsible for the supply and commissioning of the wind turbines.
The firm has also signed a five-year customised active output management service agreement for the US project.
Vestas is expected to deliver the ordered equipment in the third quarter of 2016, and for the turbines to be operational by the end of the year.

This order raises the firm’s total announced order intake this year to 5,899MW.
The firm has also won a 93MW order from Finland-based TuuliWatti, to deliver 27 V126-3.45MW turbines for the Simo III project in the province of Lapland.

Besides delivery, Vestas will be responsible for installation of the turbines, and ten years active output management at the facility, which is claimed to be the largest wind power generation plant in Finland.

The Danish giant is likely to start delivery of the turbines in 2016, with commissioning scheduled for 2016 and 2017.

V126-3.45MW turbines model from Vestas have been specially designed for low-wind sites. More than 500MW worth of the turbine variant has been ordered in Finland alone, the company has said.

Vestas Northern Europe president Klaus Steen Mortensen said: “With this project, we build on our strong collaboration with TuuliWatti Oy from previous record projects, like the 73MW Kalajoki wind farm, which was Finland’s very first large-scale wind power plant at the time of order.”

Enel Green Power España (EGPE) has signed an agreement with Portuguese company First State Wind Energy Investments to sell all of its share capital of Finerge Gestão de Projectos Energéticos (Finerge) for €900m ($1bn).

Finerge is a wholly owned EGPE subsidiary operating across the Portuguese renewable sector, chiefly engaged in the development, construction and operation of wind farms in the country. EGPE is the Spanish subsidiary of Italian firm Enel Green Power (EGP).

Besides having 126MW of installed capacity as a part of its portfolio, Finerge also has minority stakes for 292MW.
The transaction, once completed, will mark EGP’s exit from the Portuguese renewable energy sector, which is a part of the firm’s strategy to streamline its assets and leverage those with greater development potential.

It is in line with EGP’s 2015-2019 business plan, which will see an investment of €9.6bn to increase its portfolio.

Finerge also owns a 35.96% interest in Eólicas de Portugal (Eneop), which has operating wind farms totalling 1,333MW under its portfolio.

The transaction will mean Finerge is the sole owner of four special purpose companies, operating 445MW worth of wind projects. Once completed, the entity will own wind farms in Portugal with a total installed capacity of 863MW.
EGP expects to gain around €30m from the divestment.

The sale is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year, and is subject to conclusion of the separation of Eneop’s assets.

RenewableUK and the Solar Trade Association have initiated a joint campaign urging the UK Government to rethink its decision to reduce financial support for small-scale renewables, such as wind turbines and solar panels.

Titled ‘People Power’, the campaign has called for members of the public, as well as the thousands of renewable energy employees, to petition the UK Government to provide steady support to the maturing sectors.

The petition is a response to government consultation published in August, which proposed incentive cuts for solar photovoltaic, wind and hydropower through the feed-in tariff scheme from January 2016. It is expected to be organised through social media and by writing to local Members of Parliament.

Proposed plans may result in substantial job losses across the renewable energy sector, as it would deprive several local communities of the financial support they receive for clean power generation from suppliers.
This could cause multiple green energy projects to shutdown, thereby making domestic electricity inaccessible for ordinary households, farmers and small businesses.

“Don’t wreck an industry, which for the first time has given people the power to control their own energy supply.”
RenewableUK consents and intelligence policy director Gemma Grimes said: “This campaign is about sending a simple message to government: don’t wreck an industry, which for the first time has given people the power to control their own energy supply.

“Small-scale renewables is an extraordinary success in the UK, creating thousands of new green jobs and allowing local communities to generate their own clean energy.

“The feed-in tariff provides a lifeline to the rural economy, allowing farmers and small businesses to diversify their income and save on their electricity bills, especially during tough economic times. The government’s actions are in danger of consigning this great work to the past.”

Solar Trade Association External Affairs head Leonie Greene said: “Poll after poll shows the great majority of the public strongly supports local renewable energy.Yet government proposals for feed-in tariffs are extreme and they will stop families and communities from investing locally in clean energy all over the UK.”

Then added : “The Action for Renewables website makes it easy for people to contact their MP and urge them to fight these proposals and protect people power.”

In contrast to the UK proposal, Scotland has decided to retain Renewables Obligation (RO) guarantees for solar investments in the country.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has selected Balfour Beatty Equitix Consortium as the preferred bidder to own and operate the offshore transmission link of the 220MW Humber Gateway wind project in the UK.

Selection of Balfour Beatty Equitix Consortium, which consists of Balfour Beatty Investments and Equitix, concludes the third bidding round for the offshore transmission owner (OFTO) projects.
“The £700m wind project…features 73 wind turbines that can meet the energy requirements of around 170,000 homes in the UK.”

The potential agreement for the offshore project will entitle the consortium to be in control of its operations for 20 years.

The £700m ($1.17bn) wind project, located in the North Sea around 8km from the coast of East Yorkshire, features 73 wind turbines that can meet the energy requirements of around 170,000 homes in the UK.

E.ON started generating power from the facility in June this year.

Transmission assets for the offshore project, which have been set-up and are presently owned by E.ON Climate and Renewables UK Humber Wind, has an estimated value of £173.3m. The assets will be handed over to the OFTO at licence granting.

Since its introduction to the UK by Ofgem and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in 2009, the offshore transmission regime has offered investment of nearly £2.6bn.

Completion of tender round three is expected to deliver £350m for consumers.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has selected Balfour Beatty Equitix Consortium as the preferred bidder to own and operate the offshore transmission link of the 220MW Humber Gateway wind project in the UK.

Selection of Balfour Beatty Equitix Consortium, which consists of Balfour Beatty Investments and Equitix, concludes the third bidding round for the offshore transmission owner (OFTO) projects.

The potential agreement for the offshore project will entitle the consortium to be in control of its operations for 20 years.

The £700m ($1.17bn) wind project, located in the North Sea around 8km from the coast of East Yorkshire, features 73 wind turbines that can meet the energy requirements of around 170,000 homes in the UK.

E.ON started generating power from the facility in June this year.

Transmission assets for the offshore project, which have been set-up and are presently owned by E.ON Climate and Renewables UK Humber Wind, has an estimated value of £173.3m. The assets will be handed over to the OFTO at licence granting.

Since its introduction to the UK by Ofgem and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in 2009, the offshore transmission regime has offered investment of nearly £2.6bn.

Completion of tender round three is expected to deliver £350m for consumers.

Indian power equipment manufacturer Suzlon has won orders from several SME and PSU customers in the country for wind turbine generators (WTG) totalling a capacity of 105MW.

Under the agreement, the firm will be responsible for installing around 50WTGs from its 2.1MW product platform across the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

The multi-megawatt WTGs will be in variants of S95-90m, S97-90m and S97-120m, Suzlon said.

The firm intends to use its turnkey wind solutions expertise to supervise the project operations, which will also include application of lifecycle asset management.

Suzlon’s S9X series product portfolio has been designed to deliver optimum energy, productivity, improved serviceability and a higher return on investment for its customers.

Suzlon Group chief sales officer Ishwar Mangal said: “The S9X series is specifically designed for low wind speed sites.

“These new project wins from diverse customer segments reaffirms Suzlon’s capabilities in providing ‘concept to commissioning’ solutions across regions”.

Many of the small and medium enterprises (SME) that have placed orders for Suzlon equipment will deploy them for captive usage, to assist them ‘to freeze their long-term captive power cost and incur substantial savings,’ the firm said.

Suzlon Group chairman Tulsi Tanti said: “We continue to have a strong focus on the Indian market as it offers a favourable renewable energy environment especially now with government’s clear thrust on clean energy.

“We will leverage our state of the art manufacturing facilities across India, best-in-class services and technological edge to ensure delivery excellence.

“We will continue to partner with our clients to contribute towards enhancing India’s renewable energy portfolio. We are confident that our business will add value to the energy security needs of our country.”

Earlier in the year, the firm divested its German subsidiary, Senvion, selling it to US-based venture capital firm Centrebridge Partners.

EnBW has started operations at the 288MW Baltic 2 offshore wind power facility in Germany.

It is the second offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea by EnbW, the first being the 48.3MW Baltic 1, which was commissioned in 2010.

Located 32km north to the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, the new facility has been developed over a two-year period.

The farm features 80 Siemens SWT-3.6-120 wind turbines that stand 138m above the water surface.

Installed across 27km², the wind farm will produce 1.2 billion kWh of electricity a year, which is enough to meet the power requirements of around 340,000 households.

EnBW CEO Frank Mastiaux said: “The commissioning of EnBW Baltic 2 is another milestone in the implementation of our EnBW 2020 strategy.

“And is further evidence that the remodelling of the energy supply system towards decentralisation and renewable energies is irreversible, not only in Germany but also around the world.

German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Parliamentary Secretary of State Uwe Beckmeyer said: “The Baltic 2 wind farm is four times as big and generates six times as much electricity as its predecessor.

“This demonstrates the opportunities offered by the industrialisation of offshore wind energy.”

These projects are part of the four offshore projects won by EnBW in 2008, expected to have a combined output of 1,200MW and are likely to involve around €3bn investment.

“Our project pipeline currently includes three other offshore wind farms in the North Sea with a total output of 1,600MW,” Mastiaux added.