Wind Farms News

Belgium-based offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul, in partnership with Greek cable maker Hellenic Cables, has entered into a framework agreement to supply and install export cables for two 750 MW floating wind farms off the coast of Southern Brittany in France.The agreement was signed with France's transmission system operator RTE, which is developing an offshore power grid to connect future wind farms.Jan De Nul will install the cables that transport the renewable energy…

Developing offshore wind projects off Sweden's coasts is not commercially viable currently, a government commission tasked with reviewing and speeding up the system for authorizing new wind parks said on Friday.The commission recommended that Sweden should switch to an auction system for offshore wind farms, widely used in other countries, but the head of the commission said that this would not in itself lead to more wind parks being constructed."The analysis shows that with today's market conditions…

Iberdrola has received a production license from the Portuguese Directorate-General for Energy and Geology of Portugal (DGEG), taking another step towards the construction of the largest wind farm in Portugal.Located in the districts of Vila Real and Braga, in northern Portugal, with a total investment of around €350 million, this project reinforces Iberdrola's commitment to environmental goals, being the first to combine wind and hydro energy. This implies sharing of the connection point and the evacuation line of electricity produced…

Norwegian offshore wind vessel owner Edda Wind has launched its Vard-built Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) in Vietnam, which will be put to its maiden job at offshore wind project in Taiwan following delivery scheduled for 2025.The vessel, NB967, was launched from a floating dock on December 1, 2024, ensuring the process was controlled and slow.Prior to the launch, the yard held a ceremony in accordance with the traditional Vietnamese blessing of the vessel.The vessel…

DEME has been awarded a contract, worth up to $52 million, for the construction of an offshore wind terminal in the Port of Cuxhaven in Germany.The terminal will boost Cuxhaven’s position as a key offshore industrial hub to support the handling of heavy-duty loads, particularly components for offshore wind farms.Operated by Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts), the expanded offshore wind terminal will consist of three (5-7) berths and 1,250 metres of quay wall for heavy loads, as well as a storage area of 38 hectare.As part of a consortium…

CSL OWL Subsea Rock Installation, a newly formed partnership between the CSL Group and Offshore Wind Logistics (OWL), has ordered two newbuild subsea rock installation vessels tailored for the offshore wind sector.Each vessel will have a cargo capacity of 17,500 metric tonnes and will be equipped with dynamic positioning (DP2).They will be able to operate on marine gas oil (MGO) and/or methanol, providing a pathway to zero emission operations.Purpose-built for optimal flexibility…

Poland is planning to assign new areas for offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea and is drafting additional measures to boost the security of its critical energy infrastructure, government officials said on Wednesday."Maritime offices will submit analyses any moment, which will give grounds to make a decision on designating new areas for offshore wind farms," Deputy Infrastructure Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka told an industry conference.Poland is boosting its offshore ambitions in the Baltic Sea…

Soaring costs, project delays and limited investment put targets out of reachAfter a year of canceled projects, broken turbines, and abandoned lease sales, the global offshore wind industry no longer has much chance to hit the lofty targets set by governments in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere ... with the exception of China.Reuters spoke to 12 offshore wind companies, industry researchers, trade associations, and government officials in six countries to come up with a global picture of the state of the industry and its outlook…

Strategic Marine has delivered a a StratCat 27 Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) to ORLEN to operate in Poland’s growing offshore wind sector.The vessel is designed specifically for offshore wind farm operations. It is scheduled to begin operations in the North Sea before transitioning to the Polish exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea.The StratCat 27 is equipped with advanced technologies to meet the demanding conditions of offshore wind farms. The vessel meets Tier III emission requirements and is hybrid-ready…

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has delivered a newbuild Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) to Norwind Offshore, which has been named Norwind Helm.The vessel naming ceremony was held in Ålesund on November 15, 2024, marking the fifth vessel delivery from Vard to Norwind Offshore, a company that offers specialized vessels designed for advanced maritime operations in the development and service of the offshore wind sector..The CSOVs designed and built for Norwind Offshore are tailor-made for world-wide services…

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for the joint development of a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) system for green ammonia. The FPSO process has been widely used in the oil and gas industries, but its application for ammonia is relatively new. The unit will use renewable energy to provide power for electrolysis of seawater to produce green hydrogen, which will be combined with nitrogen and synthesized to produce green ammonia…

Orsted CEO assures Sweden that the offshore wind industry has solutions that would address defense concerns. At issue: Sweden's rejection of a proposed 13 offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea.Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Monday that building wind farms in the Baltic Sea would pose defense risks, by making it harder to detect and shoot down missiles. As Europe turns to renewable sources to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil and gas, concerns have also…

Driven by a “massive step change in offshore wind turbine technology” premised on growth of the per unit size and output, Menck – an Acteon brand – last month unveiled what it touts as a “game-changing” MHU 6000W Wind Hammer, the largest hammer in its repertoire and a continuing a legacy of innovation since 1868 from this north Germany industrial company.We recently visited with Fabian Hippe, Marine Foundations Sales Director, Acteon, for a discussion on the new pile driving unit and the markets it will serve.

Orsted's CEO said that there are solutions to Swedish defense concerns in the offshore wind industry. This was after Sweden refused applications for 13 offshore wind farms on Baltic Sea.Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson stated on Monday that the construction of wind farms along the Baltic Sea could pose a threat to national security, as it would make it more difficult to detect and intercept missiles.While Europe is turning to renewable energy sources to diversify its energy supply away from Russian oil…

As global offshore markets evolve to create a more sustainable future, rising up to meet these challenges is Sweden-based Northern Offshore Services. Offshore engineers won’t be the only beneficiary – but they might be the most important. In August, Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) unveiled its unique I-Class Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV), powered by the first commercial application of Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform. In the cutting-edge IMPRESSER, N-O-S designed a flexible…

Danish firm Cadeler has signed firm contracts, valued up to $415 million, for the transport and installation of turbines and foundations for East Anglia TWO offshore wind farm, being developed by ScottishPower Renewables, part of Iberdrola Group.The contracts, valued between $390 million and $415 million, are for the transportation and installation of 64 turbines, each rated at 15 MW, along with their foundations.The offshore works are set to commence in 2027 and will see the use of one of Cadeler’s newbuild A-class vessels…

Preparing for industrialization, the floating offshore wind industry is tackling its unique mooring and cabling challenges.The idea of keeping floating offshore wind platforms in place using dynamic positioning has been considered. The trouble is: it could take up to 80% of the electricity generated by the turbine to do it.So, as Maersk Supply Service said a few years back: In a field of 100 turbines with 4-5 mooring lines each, there is going to be a lot of subsea “spaghetti.” It’s not a problem unique to the industry…

Patriot Offshore Maritime Services NY, a subsidiary of Lake Success, N.Y. based Liberty Green Logistics, announced it has been awarded a 10-year contract to provide crew transfer vessel (CTV) services for Empire Offshore Wind LLC.Patriot Offshore's new CTV will service Equinor’s New York offshore wind farm during the construction and O&M phases of the project. The Jones Act qualified CTV will be constructed in a U.S. shipyard and will commence operations in 2026.The 29.5-meter newbuild CTV will be Patriot Offshore's second…

North Star has launched a partnership which includes MO4, Principle Power, SMST, Vard, and Voith Group to fast-track the development of high-performance operations and maintenance ships tailored for floating offshore wind farms.The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a dedicated working group of industry experts to help fast-track the design and testing of a new service operations vessel (SOV) concept.Together, the six organizations have committed to developing a detailed…

The first commercial application of Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform will power Northern Offshore Services’ next-gen crew transfer vessel. Longtime collaborators Volvo Penta and N-O-S aim to more than satisfy the unique requirements of a possible 25x increase in offshore wind production.Upon arrival in Gothenburg, an observant visitor quickly realizes that Sweden is one of the cleanest places on earth. Epitomizing that lofty standard are two marine industry heavyweights…

Amidst sensational headlines and questionable policy decisions from Washington, D.C., the U.S. offshore energy sector stands resilient. This vital industry not only powers our nation with reliable energy but also enables hundreds of thousands of jobs across all 50 states and strengthens national security. From the Gulf of Mexico to the burgeoning offshore wind farms along the East Coast, the resilience and innovation of this sector are critical to driving economic growth and ensuring our nation’s energy security.The Gulf of Mexico has long been a cornerstone of U.S.

With clean energy projects maturing in U.S. waters, the nation’s offshore wind industry is poised to grow substantially, requiring a robust industrial base. A feedering model using domestic tugs and barges to transport turbines to offshore wind sites, is positioned at the heart of this emerging growth.Currently, the entire global fleet of wind turbine installation vessels (WTIV)—except for Dominion Energy’s Charybdis currently under construction at the Seatrium AmFELS yard in Brownsville, Texas—is flagged, owned and operated outside of the U.S.

Van Oord has installed over a quarter of the foundations which will support Sofia offshore wind farm’s 100 wind turbines in the North Sea since the start of operations in May.The Dutch contractor Van Oord is using the Port of Tyne’s Clean Energy Park as a storage and marshalling base, benefitting from direct access to its deep-water quay and connection to the North Sea.The port has been welcoming the tallest offshore installation vessel in its history, the Aeolus. Purpose-built to construct offshore wind farms…