Highlights of the Month – February 2018

World’s First Floating Wind Farm Outdelivers

The 30MW Hywind Scotland, the world’s first commercial-scale floating wind farm, performed better than expected in its first three full months in production, Statoil, the operator of the wind farm said.

Ørsted Streamlines Hornsea Project Three

Ørsted has published updated plans for the proposed Hornsea Project Three offshore wind farm, highlighting the changes that have been made as a result of feedback received through consultation events, one-to-one meetings and wider briefings with statutory bodies and interested parties.

Thialf Equips Aeolus with New 1600t Crane

Heerema’s vessel Thialf installed the new 1,600-tonne Huisman crane onboard Van Oord’s Aeolus today (28 February), making the vessel ready to handle the latest generation of foundations and turbines for offshore wind projects.

EnBW Goes Big in Taiwan

Germany’s EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG has agreed to acquire 37.5 percent stakes in three offshore wind projects in Taiwan with a combined capacity of around 2GW.

Ireland: ESB Eyes Two Sites for New 500MW Offshore Wind Farm(s)

ESB-owned Hibernian Wind Power has applied for two investigative foreshore licences, aiming to examine the feasibility of building a 500MW offshore wind farm (or wind farms) off Ireland’s East Coast.

Wpd Puts Taiwanese Offshore Wind Projects on Fast Track

German offshore wind developer wpd has appointed Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) as their financial advisor for its projects in Taiwan.

ORE Catapult Shares Offshore Wind Vision

Service robots, drones, automated motherships and 40-rotor turbines could become the norm for offshore wind farms by 2050, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult predicts.

More European Developers Interested in Taiwan’s Offshore Wind

Germany-based offshore wind developer innogy and a major oil and gas company from the Netherlands have emerged as the latest companies from Europe that are interested in entering Taiwanese offshore wind market, according to Taiwan’s Storm Magazine, which left the Dutch oil and gas company unnamed.

France to Announce Dunkirk Tender Results in March

The results of the call for offshore wind tenders in the Dunkirk area in France will be released in March, said French Secretary of State Sébastien Lecornu.

Siemens Gamesa Turbines to Spin on Ørsted’s Giant Offshore Wind Farm

Ørsted has selected Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy as the exclusive supplier of wind turbines for the 1.4GW Hornsea Project Two offshore wind farm.