(OE) Some offshore wind turbine (OWT) support structures may fall short of required fatigue life expectations, according to a new Lloyd’s Register (LR) report, which also pinpointed reliability-based inspection as one of the measures to manage fatigue-driven risks in such structures. The case study evaluated a North Atlantic offshore wind farm of 60–70 turbines, with the... Continue Reading →
Hanwha Ocean’s 15 MW Floating Wind Platform Gets ABS Approval in Principle
ABS has issued an Approval in Principle (AIP) to Hanwha Ocean for its semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine design, named WindHive 15-H3, which can support 15 MW wind turbines. The AiP from ABS follows the Approval in Principle that the South Korean company secured for its floater from DNV at the beginning of this year. The... Continue Reading →
Ecopetrol Purchases Enel Wind Power Project for $50m
(Reuters) Colombian state oil firm Ecopetrol said on Monday it has purchased a wind power project in the northern province of La Guajira from Enel for $50 million. The Windpeshi project will have a capacity of 205 megawatts (MW), which will be added to Ecopetrol Group's self-consumption energy portfolio, the company said in a statement. "We have... Continue Reading →
Work Starts on Brazil’s First Offshore Wind Project, Pilot Expected to Come Online in 3 Years
(offshoreWIND.biz) Brazil’s SENAI Institute of Innovation in Renewable Energy (ISI-ER) and SENAI’s Rio Grande do Norte branch, SENAI-RN, expect to receive the installation permit for their pilot project, the country’s first offshore wind project to be granted a preliminary licence, within 12 to 18 months and to have it operational within 36 months. Following the... Continue Reading →
J-Power Joins Spanish Floating Wind Demo
(offshoreWIND.biz) Japan’s Electric Power Development, also known as J-Power, has joined the WHEEL floating offshore wind demonstration project in Spain. The WHEEL demonstration project is led by the Madrid-headquartered company Esteyco. WHEEL will feature one turbine installed three kilometres off the eastern coast of Gran Canaria, Spain. Through this project, J-Power aims to acquire knowledge... Continue Reading →
Ibama prepares to issue first license for offshore wind power
(eixos.com.br) The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) will announce, next week, the first environmental license for an offshore wind project in Brazil. Exios learned that the license will be for a pilot project of the Senai Institute for Innovation in Renewable Energy (ISI-ER), in Rio Grande do Norte. The decision of... Continue Reading →
Project to Demonstrate 15+ MW Turbine on Ocergy’s Floating Platform Kicks Off
(offshoreWIND.biz) The Reduced Commercial Risks with Demo of 15+ MW (RECORD15) joint industry project, which aims to install a latest generation turbine with a rated power over 15 MW on Ocergy’s floating platform in 2028, has been launched. The Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) contract for this pilot project was recently signed between Ocergy and three... Continue Reading →
US Warns UK Over Mingyang’s Proposed Wind Turbine Factory, Chinese Analyst Says National Security Concerns ‘Guise for Protectionism’ – Reports
(offshoreWIND.biz) The Trump administration has warned the UK government about security risks as Mingyang Smart Energy plans to build a factory in Scotland to manufacture wind turbines for North Sea offshore wind farms, according to a report by the Financial Times, citing a US official. A Chinese analyst has commented on the news, saying the... Continue Reading →
First Floating Offshore Wind Farm in France Fully Commissioned
(offshoreWIND.biz) The floating offshore wind project is owned by Parc Eolien Offshore de Provence Grand Large – a subsidiary of EDF Renouvelables, Enbridge Eolien France 2 S.à.r.l (EEF2), a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., and CPP Investments. Provence Grand Large is a pilot project with three Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines installed 17 kilometres off the coast... Continue Reading →
Japan Opens Exclusive Economic Zone for Offshore Wind
A new bill passed by Japan’s House of Representatives on 3 June will enable offshore wind projects to be built in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), beyond the 22-kilometre (12-nautical-mile) line of Japan’s territorial waters. The bill, which was approved by the House of Councillors on 11 April, amends the existing Act on Promotion... Continue Reading →