The first steel to be used in the construction of DolWin beta was cut at the yard in Dubai yesterday.
“DolWin beta is our first wind platform and an important project for Aibel. A lot of people have done a tremendous job in planning and designing the platform. This reflects a good relationship between Drydocks World in Dubai, ABB and Aibel,” says Jan Skogseth, the CEO of Aibel AS.
Skogseth took part in the cutting ceremony yesterday evening, with Sheik Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The building of DolWin beta is a big job for Drydocks World. At its peak, about 1800 of the yard’s personnel will be working on the platform.
Aibel’s first wind platform
Aibel signed a contract with Drydocks World in Dubai in the beginning of 2012 to build the steel structure for its first wind platform. The platform will be ready for sailaway from Dubai within approximately 2 years and will be outfitted in Haugesund before being towed out to the DolWin field in 2014. DolWin beta will be located in the DolWin wind farm cluster in the German sector of the North Sea.
The platform, which will host ABB’s converter station, will receive alternating current from the wind farms, and convert it to direct current which will then be sent ashore via sea cables.
The platform has been developed jointly by Aibel and ABB. The platform will stand in a sea depth of nearly 30 metres, will have a capacity of 900 MW and will be able take the production from three wind farms totalling 240 turbines.
The project is being managed from the Aibel offices at Haugesund. At its busiest, approximately 200 Aibel employees will work on the wind platform.
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Offshore WIND staff, June 22, 2012; Image: aibel