WindEurope Bulletin December 2022

CEO Foreword

Dear WindEurope Member,

You may have seen that last week EU Energy Ministers agreed emergency measures on the simplification of permitting – for renewables and grid. But they failed to agree on measures to cap gas prices.

The emergency measures on permitting cut the deadline on permitting repowering projects from 12 to 6 months. Apart from that they don’t add anything to the new “REPowerEU” permitting rules the EU is already bringing in on the back of the war. The latter do three key things:

• they establish that the expansion of renewables is a matter of “overriding public interest”;
• they reinforce the population-based approach to species protection; and
• they redefine the 2-year normal permitting deadline: it now covers all permits, and the clock starts ticking when the EIA goes in.

The emergency measures repeat all of that BUT don’t require Governments to apply them to existing permit applications, only to new ones. This is a step backwards compared to the REPowerEU rules. But the latter will trump the emergency measures once they’re formally agreed and come into force.

The task for us now is to ensure the REPowerEU rules apply to all permits, new and existing. 20 leading wind industry CEOs have written to the Commission calling on them to accelerate all permits. Right now 80 GW of wind energy capacity is stuck in the permitting phase around Europe.

A quick look at auctions now. We saw some good news from the Netherlands a few weeks ago. Their latest offshore auction was the first major auction in Europe based on non-price criteria. 90% of the scoring was on non-price criteria, most of it around system integration. And they’re not alone – Germany, France and Belgium have all started using, or are looking into non-price criteria for some of their auctions. It’s good that Governments are starting to reconsider price-only auctions, especially given the state of the supply chain. But at the same time, auctions should put up as many GW as possible. There are plenty of companies out there looking to build turbines. And many of them will miss out if the capacity for auctions is too low.

On the other hand, we’ve also seen examples of how not to run auctions. Spain’s latest “1.5 GW” onshore wind auction had a secret price ceiling which very few projects managed to bid below. Not surprisingly only 46 MW of wind was awarded, out of a total of 1.5 GW on offer. What this shows is that Governments need to index future auctions to reflect increases in commodity prices. And if they have price ceilings they must ensure they reflect today’s higher costs. With the price of raw materials soaring, the era of endless cost reductions in wind is over. But it’s still far cheaper than other conventional energy sources.

Visibility on revenues is essential to the health of our industry. So the Electricity Market Design will be crucial to get right, especially in the next few months. The Commission want to bring in new legislative proposals next March to reshape it. We need to ensure the Electricity Market Design sends the right investment signals, leveraging PPAs and Contracts for Difference, keeping the features of the current system that work well (short term markets) and ensuring that security of supply is delivered in a way that’s consistent with Europe’s commitment to climate neutrality.

Now to wrap up on events – WindEurope’s End-of-Life Issues and Strategies Seminar meets in Ghent today to look at the fate of aging turbines across Europe. 78 GW will be 20 years or older by the end of this decade. With energy security in the back of our minds, we’ve got to salvage as many of these turbines as we can. And to make new turbines as circular as possible.

Looking ahead to next year, our Annual Event 2023 is in Copenhagen from 25-27 April. The exhibition is already sold out. There’ll be over 450 companies exhibiting. There’ll be top speakers from policy, industry and beyond including IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson and a number of national Energy Ministers. Here’s a preview of the programme. Stay tuned for the full programme overview this December – and for registration soon after.

I would like to wish you all a very happy and restful Christmas and all the best for 2023. And to thank you all again for your support and engagement throughout the year.

Kind regards,

Giles Dickson

WindEurope Intelligence Platform

Members Successes

Assembling the world’s largest offshore wind farm (Mammoet)

Floating offshore wind will be key to delivering cost-effective renewable energy to consumers. Equinor is leading the way in developing this technology with Hywind Tampen, the largest floating wind farm to date. A smooth production line was needed from component load-in to turbine assembly, but deep foundations meant that lift capacity was needed far from the quay edge.

To reduce the CO2 emissions of its offshore operations, energy major Equinor planned to construct the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm. This project would be a significant step forward for the energy transition on its own – taken together, Hywind Tampen and Equinor’s earlier Hywind Scotland pilot project will generate around half of the world’s floating wind power.

Following its experience during the deployment of the world’s first floating wind farm, Hywind Scotland (also operated by Equinor), Mammoet was engaged to undertake turbine assembly and associated port handling work. Martin Tieman, Project Manager for Mammoet, explains:

“We recognised that we would need a crane with a huge outreach to make the required lifts. The majority of land-based cranes in any fleet would not be able to achieve a 143 m distance at these weights, but we knew that if it could be done the project would benefit significantly. This would create a smooth production line from marshalling yard to turbine assembly to commissioning – all at the same location – optimising the use of offshore assets.

This led us to look at the use of our PTC 200-DS crane, which is proving to be in high demand for big offshore wind projects such as the Greater Changhua development in Taiwan and Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm in Scotland.

With the port confirming the quayside would be able to provide the required ground bearing pressures, we were able to put together a plan that would deliver a comprehensive package of port handling and assembly of all eleven turbines of Equinor’s development.”

In addition to the draft of the port, weather conditions also posed a challenge. Although large ring cranes are built to withstand strong gusts, components such as these – with a large surface area designed specifically to catch the wind – are another matter.

To counteract this, the PTC 200-DS was modified to ensure precise control of components even when winds were strong – meaning that there would be fewer potential stoppages due to the weather and the turbines could be completed sooner.

These modifications allowed the crane to work with third-party blade yoke and tugger winch systems, which orient the load under hook without the need for taglines operated by hand. This prevents damage to relatively delicate turbine blades, and increases levels of safety on site.

Besides lifting, strong port handling capabilities were required to receive tower pieces, nacelles and blades from vessels and store them so they could be retrieved quickly, maximising utilisation. Mammoet managed this scope, assuring the main lifting asset was in use for as much time as possible.

Alongside the PTC 200-DS, 24 axle lines of SPMT and a range of smaller cranes were used to handle the movement of components; as well as an LR1750 crane to assist the PTC during lifts that required rotation of components. This further helped to keep idle time as low as possible for all assets, minimising handling manoeuvres overall.

Tieman concludes: “Having worked on numerous large-scale offshore wind projects, we understand how important the logistics between port delivery and installation are to maintaining schedule. Our specialist team has successfully executed this scope for some of the biggest offshore wind projects in the world, giving us the experience to maximise utilisation of key assets and so deliver the highest levels of project cost-efficiency.”

Hywind Tampen offshore wind park aims to start producing power during the third quarter of 2022.

Read the full press release here.

Simply Blue Group secures €27 million investment for floating offshore wind development

Simply Blue Group has welcomed further financial backing of €25 million from funds managed by Octopus Energy’s generation arm, announced today. An additional €2.5 million has also been raised from other investors bringing the total investment to €27.5 million.

Simply Blue Group, headquartered in Cork, is an Irish blue economy project developer, developing pioneering projects in floating offshore wind, e-Fuels, wave energy and low-impact aquaculture. The group currently has a global pipeline of over 10 GW of floating offshore wind projects.

The investment will support Simply Blue Group’s floating offshore wind projects and blue economy projects, such as the development of e-Fuels and energy parks.

This is the second round of funding from Octopus into Simply Blue Group, having announced a €15 million investment in August 2021.

Sam Roch-Perks, Group Chief Executive Officer, Simply Blue Group said: “We welcome the reinvestment by Octopus Energy Generation, which demonstrates the company’s support to Simply Blue Group and the renewables sector. With our strong pipeline of global projects, this investment will enable us to grow our pipeline even further and move forward with a range of international projects outside of floating offshore wind.”

Chris Gaydon, Investment Director at Octopus Energy Generation, said: “The floating offshore wind sector will undoubtedly play a vital role in the clean energy system of the future. Just over a year after we first invested in Simply Blue, their development pipeline of floating offshore wind projects has grown significantly. Given falling costs, improving technology, and growing investment, this area is going from strength to strength. We’re right at the forefront of this innovative and fast-growing market, working with SBG to accelerate its growth and expand its development pipeline.”

More Simply Blue Group here.

Share your successes with us!

Is your brand bringing new, ground-breaking solutions to the wind industry? Have you recently launched a major project in your field? Do you have positive business news to share?

Then make sure to get in touch with us here at WindEurope – we’ll be happy to promote your success story as part of our monthly Bulletin! This is a chance to share your accomplishments with thousands of others from right across the wind energy value chain – a major visibility boost.

Please be aware that this service is only available to members from the categories C3 and above. Publication of stories is on a first come, first served basis.

Get in touch with our Membership team now to send in your news!

Send us your success story

Events

WindEurope Annual Event 2023

Copenhagen is calling! The key wind industry gathering of the year takes place in just a few months’ time. This has been a turbulent period for our industry. Europe wants secure homegrown energy powered by wind. But with all of the structural challenges we face, is the industry ready to deliver this? We urgently need to come together and put wind on the path to success.

What can you expect while you’re in Copenhagen?

• The conference, featuring 250+ speakers in 50+ sessions across the three days. We’ll be looking at every facet of the wind industry today, and what to prepare for in the years ahead.
• Top names from policy, industry and beyond – IEA Chair Fatih Birol, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy Policy Rob Jetten and TenneT CEO Manon van Beek.
• 450+ exhibitors on the venue floor – representing the whole wind energy value chain in Europe. The ideal spot to seal new deals and grow your contact list.
• This year’s iconic host city – a timeless historic capital and a modern-day hub for sustainability. Check out our guide here.

Make sure to take a look at the conference page for a sneak peek of some of the big topics we’ll be covering. The full programme overview will be ready later this month. And registrations will open in the New Year! Stay tuned – and see you in April!

Find out more

WindEurope Technology Workshop 2023

WindEurope’s Technology Workshop is now on the cards! Next June, we’ll be meeting again to look at the biggest breakthroughs in wind energy technology, the technical challenges we still face, and the application of new technology in a wide range of roles.

We’ll need cutting-edge ideas and concepts to help shape the tone of this year’s Technology Workshop. For that reason, we’ll be opening a Call for Abstracts later this month – a chance for past attendees, newcomers, and R&I experts to put new ideas and innovations in the spotlight!

More info to come in the next few weeks!

Windflix

This time on Breaking Wind, Guy takes a look at some major wind energy stories from around Europe – new records from Greece and the UK, ambitious plans in Portugal, Denmark, and China, and some more unusual items…

• A British wind energy museum… up for sale;
• How penguin feathers can help us build turbines at the poles; and
• A German research ship running on green liquor?

Check out any instalments you might have missed here on Windflix!