Wind Energy weekly intelligence brief: 1 - 6 August
Around €22.6 billion will be spent on offshore wind power projects globally through 2013, according to a report released by Douglas-Westwood.
From 1.5 GW of capacity online at present, the report projects that 6.6 GW of new capacity will be installed over the next four years. The UK is being tipped to emerge as the “dominant” nation with 3 GW of new offshore wind energy capacity forecast to be installed through 2013 at a cost of €10.7 billion. Germany will be the second biggest player in the period, installing over 1.5 GW of offshore wind power capacity. New projects off Denmark currently under construction and tendering will see the country add a healthy 857 MW of new capacity in the period.
In the UK, the Crown Estate has decided to offer Round 1 and 2 offshore windfarm operators the opportunity to apply for area extensions where appropriate. This offer is open for any Round 1 or 2 project which is operational or under construction, consented and awaiting construction or currently awaiting determination of statutory consents. The purpose of this offer is to realise additional offshore wind capacity, which could be brought into operation ahead of Round three projects. Developers are being asked to register their initial interest in this process by a closing date of 9 September 2009 and a detailed application process will follow this. This offer is in addition to the offer of extended lease durations for Round 1 and 2 sites made by The Crown Estate in July
Dutch contractor Van Oord has been awarded the contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the first part of Belgium’s Belwind offshore wind farm project (total capacity of 165 MW). The developer and client is Belwind nv. The contract value amounts to €280 million and is Van Oord’s largest award this year. The project is scheduled for completion in November 2010.
Vestas has received an order for an offshore wind power plant with a total capacity of 165 MW. The wind power plant, Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm, consists of 55 units of the V90-3.0 MW wind turbine and will be located 46 km off the coast of Zeebrugge. The order comprises design, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of the 55 wind turbines as well as a five-year service and availability agreement.
In the US, the buzz around Cape Wind - Massachusetts’ chance to be a leader in clean energy - is increasing. Developers have proposed wind farms off Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Jersey to meet the electricity needs of the East Coast. Cape Wind’s developers need one last major regulatory approval, from the US Department of the Interior. Should they get it, they expect to have the project up and running in two years, which will require finding more than $1 billion, according to a report filed by Reuters.
Energy Transportation Inc. has strengthened its portfolio of services with the opening of a new rail site in Casper, WY. The Casper rail siding is located in the CTran rail facility, which contains over 11,000 feet of switchyard track, a site locomotive, and expandable acreage depending upon the demand. The firm will now be able to provide in-house solutions from source to installation.
In Asia, Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department has approved CLP Power Holdings’ $864 million 200 MW offshore wind power project. CLP
South Korea’s STX Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. has reportedly agreed to acquire Harakosan Europe B.V, a manufacturer of multi-megawatt gearless wind turbines for electric power generation, for a consideration of $19.34 million.