With offshore wind developments in the UK currently generating more power than the rest of Europe combined, and a strong pipeline of projects planned for the coming decade, offshore wind has become a major element in the UK energy mix.

In the Irish Sea, home to two of the Round 3 zones, locating a harbour with enough storage capacity to stock huge turbines and foundations, and deep enough for large installation vessels to operate, were two major challenges facing both DONG Energy and RWE.

Belfast Harbour the best option for DONG Energy

With many projects underway or in the pipeline, DONG Energy has a strong presence in the Irish Sea. According to Uffe Jørgensen, Senior Director of Development Projects at DONG Energy, Belfast Harbour was the obvious choice as an operational base for its Irish Sea projects. “In the planning phase for the West of Duddon Sands project, we surveyed harbours around the Irish Sea and found that only a few could accommodate large installation vessels or offer adequate storage capacity. A deep harbour and room for development made Belfast Harbour the best option,” says Uffe.

Experience counts

Renowned for its high winds, the Irish Sea is a great location for offshore wind farms, but high tides (up to nine metres) and strong currents make it a challenging environment. RWE npower renewables (RWE NRL ) operates the North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats wind farms in Liverpool Bay and is the lead partner in the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, the largest offshore wind farms currently under construction in Europe.

For Toby Edmonds, RWE’s Project Director at Gwynt y Môr, one of the major challenges involved in operating in the Irish Sea is the high winds. “Our experience building the North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats wind farms means that we are aware of the weather challenges and we know how to optimise our programme to avoid delays as much as possible,” says Toby.

Room to manoeuvre

Storage capacity has also been an issue for the Gwynt y Môr project. “Ensuring that the offshore installation vessels are constantly fed with components has been a challenge. Our site and construction managers and marine coordinators work hard to ensure vessel priority in and out of our ports at Birkenhead and Mostyn in order to minimise downtime,” explains Toby.

Working closely with the Belfast Harbour Commission, DONG Energy secured access to 200,000 square metres of storage for the West of Duddon Sands project. “The turbines and foundations are sailed in from Denmark, the east coast of the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, so a large storage area is a must. With a large stock on hand, we’re not so susceptible to bad weather. And Belfast Harbour has a relatively long quayside, so two installation vessels and a coaster can load at the same time,” says Uffe.

A2SEA’s SEA INSTALLER will be working on the DON G Energy projects, and SEA JACK and SEA WORKER will install turbines at Gwynt y Môr this spring.

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