Sharing knowhow in offshore wind construction
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Longer Horizons Demand Greater Diligence

By Andy Reay, A2SEA Regional Manager for the UK

These are busy times at A2SEA – and for many of our partners and competitors, too. That’s because we’re up to our ears in work needed to submit tenders for the UK ‘CFDs’ (Contracts for Difference). It’s also a process that stimulates long-term thinking and generates new insights into the industry’s current state and the years to come.

With this in mind, we’d like to highlight a couple of key differences we can see in wind farm projects today compared with just two or three years ago. And they are well worth a moment’s consideration.

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Time to rethink and renew

Time to rethink and renew

By Jonathan Winch

The supplier landscape in offshore wind has always been in a state of constant change. Over one and a half decades, it has developed enormously in capabilities and capacity. New players have flowed into the market, specialising in aspects such as surveying, cable laying, foundation installation or component transport – and a few have achieved significant size, or been acquired by larger companies in adjacent businesses.

Today, the most well-established players, of which A2SEA is one, have amassed lengthy track records and rich experience of many different aspects of the industry. It is now time to rethink and renew those established business models to handle the challenges of the next stage of offshore wind construction.  Continue reading →

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Northern European market landscape

THE NORTHERN EUROPEAN MARKET LANDSCAPE

By Kristian Ruby,
Chief Policy Officer, EWEA

The wind industry has evolved greatly in the last three decades, and has emerged from the fringes to become a significant provider of electricity, accounting for more than 40% of all new power capacity additions in 2014 and covering 10% of Europe’s electricity consumption in the same period.

For people operating in the maritime sector, the emergence and growing importance of the offshore wind sector to deliver carbonfree electricity on a large scale presents many opportunities for investment and growth, with over 3,000 turbines installed at sea to date, in 11 European Member States. Continue reading →

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Get your priorities right

By Rasmus Helveg Petersen,
Minister for Climate, Energy and Building

Much has changed since the eleven 450 kW turbines were erected in 1991 at Vindeby, the world’s first offshore wind farm. The Kriegers Flak project in Denmark will amount to 600 MW. We see the emergence of wind turbines in the 5-10 MW range, and simultaneously we see the design of installment vessels made specifically for offshore wind farm deployment.

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Let’s insist on a safe journey

By Samuel Leopold, Executive Vice President, DONG Energy Wind Power

The offshore wind industry is facing two must-win battles. We need to reduce the cost of electricity from offshore wind turbines; and we need to improve our health and safety performance.

The two challenges have a number of similarities. In relatively few years, we need to accomplish what other industry sectors have spent many years achieving. Over the next ten years, we need to be at a health and safety level that matches the level that other sectors, including the oil and gas sector, have spent more than 100 years reaching. This is a major challenge. Continue reading →