Siemens Gamesa and Vestas Collaborate to Standardise Equipment for Transportation of Wind Turbine Towers

Outlook & Strategy

December 13, 2023, by Adnan Memija

Building on a previous collaboration focused on tower foundations and lifting guidelines, Siemens Gamesa and Vestas, facilitated by Energy Cluster Denmark, have signed a new partnership agreement to increase standardisation within the wind industry.

Initially, the partners will standardise equipment for the transportation of wind turbine towers.

“Currently, whenever a wind turbine tower is shipped out for offshore installation, the manufacturer welds a box onto the installation vessel to which the tower is then clamped. The process is costly in terms of tons of iron and labour on the quayside. Once installation offshore is completed, all the equipment is removed from the vessel, which is again costly in terms of hours, money and the green transition,” said Jesper Møller, Chief Engineer in Offshore Execution at Siemens Gamesa.

The new partnership agreement comprises a series of projects involving equipment for and the storage of huge components produced by wind turbine manufacturers.

The first project focuses on sea fastening, involving securing towers, blades, and nacelles to installation vessels.

“In 2027, there will be far too many offshore wind farm projects on the drawing board relative to the number of installation vessels available. This presents difficulties for the green transition, for us as manufacturers and indeed for our entire value and supply chain,” said Møller.

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“That is why we have chosen to enter into a new partnership with Vestas to optimise the cost-intensive equipment each of our companies delivers today. Standardisation will allow us quite simply to ship out more turbine parts faster.”

The partners are seeking individuals and companies, including competitors, willing to contribute to more efficient practices, said Morten Baungaard Nielsen.

“Today, an offshore wind turbine installation demands tons of iron and labour and utilises equipment that is unique to every manufacturer – impeding scalability and industry maturity. Through standardisation, we make a collective effort that transcends competition for the greater good of our industry,” said Anders Nielsen, Chief Technology Officer at Vestas.

The two companies recently collaborated to streamline the production of wind turbines. Previous collaborations were centered around shared lifting equipment and tower base design, a process supported by Energy Cluster Denmark.