A tough task
The installation and support effort required to support Round 3 will challenge the industry. The search for new solutions may call for a change of mindsets, says one insider. Jonathan Ward reports
As the Round 3 offshore wind energy projects begin construction over the next few years, UK waters will see infrastructure development on an unprecedented scale. The 25 to 30GW of capacity that may be installed in this phase is more than three times the region’s current total offshore capacity. This huge opportunity will be a challenge for the companies that will manage the construction and installation of new assets.
One company that is gearing up to meet this challenge is Denmark based A2SEA. The company, which was founded in 2000 to support the emerging offshore wind power market, currently operates three specially adapted vessels designed to manage the foundation construction and turbine installation processes, and offers a range of related construction and maintenance support services. It employs 210 people at its headquarters in Fredericia, at offices in the UK and Germany, and onboard its installation and support vessels. Thomas Arensbach, the company’s sales manager, says that expansion in UK waters is already testing the industry’s installation capacity. “In recent years, we had a nice steady flow of offshore projects, with maybe one each year, but this year, we already have five projects running. Projects are already having to make use of installation assets that are not specially adapted for wind farm construction. Those vessels can do the job, but their use has implications for the speed and cost of construction projects.”
While companies like A2SEA are continuing to obtain and adapt new vessels to support the market growth, Arensbach suggests that the round three projects will require the industry to change the way it thinks about projects too. “So far, the design of turbines and of foundations has focussed on how they will perform over their service life. Now companies are also going to have to think much harder about the ease and efficiency of installation, particularly as they move to more challenging installation sites,” he says.
The inspiration of these developments may come from some unexpected sources, suggests Arensbach. “The oil and gas industry obviously has a lot to offer, particularly in the design of accommodation and offshore substation platforms, but that industry is very engineering-centred and set up for the delivery of one-off projects. These new projects will require companies to be able to deliver many turbines at the best quality and lowest cost - we may need to think more like the car industry.”
This change in mindsets will be a significant one for the industry, but Arensbach believes that Round 3 may offer the ideal conditions to foster innovation. “The Crown Estates policy for Round 3 or encouraging the creation of consortia, and the DECC funded projects will really encourage different companies to work to together and to share best practices. That will help to accelerate development.”
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