| Wind power
Simply Blue and Marine Power Systems launch PelaFlex floating wind project
Marine Power Systems (MPS) is partnering with Simply Blue Group to develop a project proposal for the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round run by Crown Estate Scotland.
The collaboration between Simply Blue Group and MPS would see six wind turbines deployed on the MPS floating platform, PelaFlex, in waters between 60 and 100 m in depth, with a total installed capacity of 100 MW.
Simply Blue Group has over 10 GW of floating offshore wind projects under development worldwide. This latest collaboration forms part of the Nomadic Offshore Wind project, launched early in the year.
MPS was selected as the preferred technology partner based on the strength of its structurally efficient tension legged platform, which is said to deliver significantly reduced system mass and a smaller mooring footprint than its peers. The technology has been designed to optimise local content delivery through a decentralised logistics model, and this “helps utility scale developers
minimise costs whilst maximising local economic benefits and accelerating industrial scale farm development.”
The INTOG leasing round aims to support projects that will directly reduce emissions from oil and gas production (up to a total capacity of 5.7 GW) but also drive commercialisation and innovation in offshore wind (up to a total capacity of 500 MW) as well as support supply chain development.
This forms part of the Scottish government’s drive to reach net zero emissions by 2045, with decarbonisation of oil and gas installations seen as playing an important role in Scotland’s energy transition.
Marine Power Systems has recently joined forces with WavEC to deploy its modular floating offshore wind platform technology at Vianna do Castello in the north region of Portugal. Simply Blue Group, headquartered in Cork, Ireland, describes itself as “a leading blue economy developer focused on replacing fossil fuels with clean ocean energy.”
Above: Marine Power Systems’ PelaFlex floating platform for offshore wind
RWE’s concrete problems and solutions
Due to structural problems in the concrete sections of the hybrid (lower section concrete/ upper section steel) turbine towers, identified before it was handed over by Nordex, the Jüchen A 44n wind farm in Germany is being demolished and rebuilt, with completion of the six-turbine 27 MW facility scheduled for 2023. RWE, the town of Jüchen and the energy supplier NEW jointly operate the wind farm. It is the only tower of this type in the RWE wind fleet.
On 20 November wind turbine unit number 4, where the defective concrete was initially encountered (in August 2021, with subsequent shut down and cordoning off of the wind farm), was brought to the ground with a controlled explosion.
The plan is to demolish the concrete sections of the remaining towers in a similar way and then reuse the main components such as nacelles, hubs, drive trains and rotor blades.
Meanwhile, RWE has decided to proceed with an innovative repowering project for a wind turbine at the Lengerich wind farm in Emsland, Germany. This will involve RWE’s first deployment of a prefabricated concrete foundation. It will also see a 1.8 MW turbine, which has been in operation at the Lengerich wind farm since 2003, being replaced with a modern Nordex 5.7 MW machine. The foundation, developed by Smart & Green Anker Foundations, consists entirely of precast elements produced in a concrete plant. The scheme uses about a third of the quantity of steel and concrete normally employed for standard poured foundations. Since all parts can be produced in advance in the concrete plant, the construction time is also reduced considerably, as construction can take place in almost any weather. Assembly is also less complicated, less expensive and more environmentally friendly: instead of using 120 concrete mixers, the parts are delivered by
lorry, in around 30 trips, and then bolted together on site. They can be easily dismantled again in case of later decommissioning.
The certification process for the innovative foundation is currently underway. The dismantling of the old wind turbine is planned for spring of next year. The construction of the new turbine, which is scheduled to start operation in the fourth quarter of 2023, will also begin then. The Lengerich hub height is 118 m and the foundation will weigh around 800 tonnes. “We are not the first ones to develop precast foundations for wind turbines”, says Anker Foundations, which has been in business for five years, “but we are the first company in the world that has produced, certified and installed precast foundations for wind turbines.” The company notes that “numerous wind turbines have already been put into operation that stand on our foundations.”
Above: Jüchen A 44n Right: Prefabricated concrete foundation (source: Smart & Green Anker)
www.modernpowersystems.com | November/December 2022 | 33
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