Danish Port of Esbjerg has started working with global infrastructure advisory firm Moffatt & Nichol on developing a ‘digital twin’ of the port that will allow simulating future offshore wind projects.
“Port Esbjerg and the whole supply chain in Esbjerg has a lot of experience in supporting offshore wind and has been involved in more than 55 projects. But the demand for wind is expected to grow immensely and the projects and the components are only getting bigger” , the Port of Esbjerg said via social media.
With a digital twin, the port can simulate future projects and operations, plan accordingly ahead of time, and thus be at the forefront of delivering the service and flexibility that the offshore wind projects of the future will require, according to the Port of Esbjerg.
In September 2021, the Danish port was given the green light by the local council for a major expansion that involves building more than 500,000 square metres of additional area to accommodate offshore wind activities. The expansion work is expected to be completed by 2026.
In December 2021, Valmont SM, a manufacturer of offshore wind turbine towers, signed an agreement with the Port of Esbjerg for an exclusive option to have the port build a large production facility for wind turbine towers.
At the beginning of last year, the port said it had shipped components worth more than 1 GW of offshore wind capacity, which means that Port of Esbjerg was involved in over 51 per cent of Europe’s offshore wind farms by that time. In total, 25 GW were installed in Europe by the end of 2020, with the Port Esbjerg involved in more than 20 GW.