WIND ENERGY UNITED KINGDOM Of winners and losers It’s offshore season again in the UK. While numerous large projects are under construction at sea, on land there is little to get excited about. Far from offering suitable infrastructure, many ports can boast only of their great potential. ile hammers work tirelessly off the southeast Manufacturers and suppliers coast of England. At a fever pitch, construction lacking Pteams drive piles into the seabed, lay cables, and assemble turbines. Following the inauguration of The UK is closing in on its ambitious climate targets a the Thanet Wind Farm with its 100 wind turbines little more each day, but it is unclear who is actually (Vestas V90, 3 MW) in late 2010, three other large pro­ profiting from the boom. Vattenfall owns Thanet, and jects supplied by Siemens are now under construction: Germany’s RWE has Greater Gabbard and Triton Knoll Sheringham Shoal (88 turbines, 317 MW), Greater (1.2 GW in planning). Norway’s state­owned Statoil Gabbard (140 turbines, 504 MW) and the London Array owns Sheringham Shoal, and the London Array is co­ (175 wind turbines, 360 MW). REpower is building the owned by Denmark’s Dong Energy, Germany’s E.ON 30 MW Ormonde project in the Irish Sea – Ormonde is and an Abu Dhabi investment fund. The leading man­ Until now, Harwich is the first English wind park with 5 MW class machines. ufacturers Siemens and Vestas are based in Den­ used as a temporary All of these projects date from the Crown Estate’s first mark, which is also where a steady stream of parts store. Components for round of contract awards (Round 1), 8 GW in total. For and components originates. Almost everything need­ current projects are piling Round 3, which will comprise 25 GW of offshore capac­ ed for construction is shipped from Danish or Dutch on the port area. 144 ity, the contract award process to project partnerships ports to the English coast, where it is stored only tem­ turbines including blades and the accompanying environmental studies are cur­ porarily. Even though project size has reached critical and turbines can be rently underway. The biggest swaths of development dimensions, the UK lacks manufacturers and an effec­ stored here. area are off England’s south­eastern and northern tive supplier industry. “The London Array has just Photos (2): Torsten Thomas North Sea coasts. 10 % local content and the number of suppliers and 144 Sun & Wind Energy 6/2011 Moving ahead of the energy curve The world’s largest offshore wind energy conference and exhibition 29 November - 1 December 2011 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Secure your presence by booking a stand! Generate new business leads and move ahead of the energy curve Offshore wind is vital for Europe’s future. As a strategic, domestic and largely untapped resource, it is one of the key technologies for achieving the energy and climate goals of the EU. Join us at the world’s largest dedicated offshore wind energy event and learn more about its enormous potential. Meet the key players shaping tomorrow’s energy market. This event is organised by the industry for the industry and represents real value for money: every euro you spend on this event is put to work promoting wind energy. www.ewea.org/offshore2011 SUPPORTED BY: ORGANISED BY: 210x297 (secure).indd 1 27/04/11 14:56 WIND ENERGY UNITED KINGDOM Off the British coast there are several projects building contractors for wind energy is very limited,” every location has to be carefully surveyed before pile under construction like says Project Director Richard Rigg. The London Array drivers can pound in the monopiles. This also affects Sheringham Shoal − is a good example. The first stage of the project the timeline. According to a press tour organised by owned by Norwegian (630 MW) is worth € 2.2 billion, and it demonstrates UK Trade and Investment at the end of March, all 176 Statoil and Statkraft. that it’s mainly the big players who profit. Apart from foundations were expected to be installed by Novem­ the turbines and foundations, all of which come from ber of this year, and then work will begin on the grid Denmark, big names like German construction giant connection and assembly of the turbines. The first Bilfinger Berger, France’s Nexans, and Denmark’s foundation was installed at the beginning of March. A2Sea all have a piece of the pie. Nevertheless, As of early May, however, only 13 monopiles have England’s JDR Cable won the contract to supply the been added. The new target for the completion of this 210 km of cables within the wind farm. “Actually, the project phase is now early 2012. British government ought to do something to in­ The transport of workers also appears somewhat crease local content. But it is also a disgrace that oil tenuous. Siemens showed up with its own floating and gas industry suppliers in the UK did not react to hotel for installation of the farm, but other workers the market earlier,” says Rigg. depend on a daily, highly weather­dependent trip from the port of Ramsgate to the London Array, some London Array: construction with 20 km off the coast. obstacles Ports in a holding pattern Because some of the large projects ran into difficul­ ties − construction on the London Array did not begin The Thanet Wind Farm, also organised in Ramsgate, until March, after a two­year delay − the government is another example of how projects do not always go increased the number of Renewable Obligation Cer­ as quickly as planned. The foundations came from the tificates (ROC) available to wind farms. The share Netherlands. Delivering them was a tricky business went from 1.5 to 2 ROCs per MWh for selected because Ramsgate has limited dock capacity and projects. Trading of these certificates increased com­ depth constraints that vary with the tides and the av­ pensation by £ 74.38 (€ 84.41) per MWh in 2010. The erage transfer from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to delays in the case of the London Array were the result Ramsgate took about eight hours. It took 300 days to of financial difficulties − project partner Shell had get all 100 monopiles in the water and another 180 jumped ship. There was also some push­back from days to install the transition pieces. Since wind tur­ residents against the onshore substation directly on bine components came from Denmark as kits, the the coast. “We invested a lot of money to ensure that hubs had already been mounted on the nacelles. That architecture of the structure nestles into the hillside meant that the rotor blades could not be lifted togeth­ and cannot be seen,” says Rigg. The Siemens SWT er with the hub as is the usual practice; instead, they 3.6 with a lengthened 120 m rotor diameter is the tur­ had to be attached one by one over the course of 200 bine that will be used in the project. Due to problems days. with shifting transition pieces last year, the mono­ That demonstrates the importance of a well-­ piles had to be redesigned. developed port. But such ports are still a long way off. But before the pile driving even got started, the The hold­up is that the big manufacturers with vari­ sea floor of the Outer Thames Estuary produced some ous suppliers in tow have not yet decided where they surprises. The bottom was strewn with relics from want to base their production in the UK. They are both world wars. Bombs, mines and wreckage of an waiting to see how the bidding phase of Round 3 ammunition transporter were found in March. Now shakes out and where their projects will be located. 146 Sun & Wind Energy 6/2011 The only two companies to have reached a decision Shipping companies on the rise on where to build their production sites are Siemens, which will build a facility at the port of Hull, and Locate in Kent, a regional business development Gamesa, which will have a plant at the port of Dundee, agency, has high hopes and some big dreams. “We Scotland. want to become the new home of offshore wind pow­ Since the privatisation wave that swept the coun­ er,” says Business Development Director Peter try in the 80s under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Symons, rolling out the red carpet. He promises ex­ most ports are privately operated. Since so few deci­ tensive assistance and the highest rates of return to sions have been made about locations of new pro­ any interested companies, but he has no money to of­ duction sites or service and maintenance bases, port fer. Symons points to Ramsgate, previous experience operators are reluctant to invest and end up betting and the fact that some projects are right at the door­ on the wrong horse. Thus, for now, business is going step. He has visions of the Medway Superhub, a net­ to the ports in Denmark and the Netherlands. “There work of nine port and production sites in the county is no state support for the development of ports. In­ of Kent that would be supported by training and uni­ frastructure development is solely market­driven and versity research facilities. The Swale Skills Centre was thus depends on private investment. The government built in Kent at a cost of £ 2.7 million and has been of­ is only providing £ 60 million (€ 68.89 million) in sub­ fering theoretical and practical training to young peo­ sidies for new factories, but the money is only avail­ ple wishing to work in industry and the wind energy able for locations in underdeveloped regions, and field since 2010.