ScottishPower Renewables has selected Peel Ports Group Great Yarmouth as its port of choice for pre-assembly on the 960MW East Anglia Two offshore wind farm.

The agreement will see the various components for the windfarm’s 64 latest-generation offshore wind turbines pre-assembled on shore – including the 192 blades being manufactured at the Siemens Gamesa factory in Hull – before installation offshore.

Siemens Gamesa turbine components and sections will arrive at the Norfolk site for assembly, before installation in the southern North Sea in 2028.

Offshore construction for East Anglia Two is expected to get underway in 2027, with the windfarm becoming operational in 2028.

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Forth Ports Limited, the UK’s third largest port operator has announced a £50 million private investment in infrastructure at the Port of Leith having secured its largest ever offshore wind contract, the delivery of the 1.1 gigawatt (GW) Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.

This latest investment in infrastructure at the Port of Leith will enhance the port’s marine access, infrastructure and vessel assets and includes plant and equipment that will be used to deliver Inch Cape. It will also create up to 50 new and upskilled green energy jobs to support the project.

Forth Ports’ agreement with Inch Cape, to be sited off the Angus coast, will utilise the port operator’s bespoke facilities and expertise at newly created renewable energy hubs at both the Port of Leith and Port of Dundee.

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Port of Aberdeen, in partnership with Subsea7, has secured a grant of £150,000 from The Scottish Government to investigate the feasibility of storing hydrogen underwater at the new Aberdeen South Harbour.

The ‘H2Shore – Hydrogen coastal storage and distribution’ project will conduct thorough engineering analyses to determine the most effective technological approach and identify an appropriate offshore location. Additionally, the project will develop an outline business case.

Energy consultancy firm, Xodus, is tasked with scrutinising the necessary distribution and bunkering requirements, with a focus on equipment, processes, and operating procedures.

This study is among 32 projects to receive funding from the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, a programme dedicated to fostering innovation in renewable hydrogen production, storage, and distribution.

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See Monster – the decommissioned North Sea offshore platform that is set to become one of the UK’s largest public art installations – is due to arrive in Weston by sea this week.

It comes after weeks of rumours surrounding delays over the opening of the attraction, which was due to open for the summer season.

The transformation of the platform is a world-first that aims to inspire global conversations about the repurposing of large industrial structures and design-led solutions to sustainable futures.

And the 450-tonne platform will be transported on a flatbed barge as large as a football pitch to its new home at the Tropicana, an iconic seafront landmark, and lifted by crane over the seawall onto preconstructed legs. 

The entire construction will be 35m tall – 15m taller than the Angel of the North and just 11m shy of Nelson’s Column.

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Ambitious plans to expand offshore wind around the United Kingdom to power homes and businesses with cheap, homegrown energy received a further boost recently with a multimillion-pound manufacturing fund opening for expressions of interest.

The Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS) will provide £160 million in UK government funding to boost floating offshore wind capability around the UK at sites in Scotland, Wales and elsewhere by supporting manufacturers and giving private investors the confidence to back this emerging sector which is expected to rapidly expand in the years ahead.

The emerging UK floating offshore wind sector already has two operational projects generating power off the coast of Scotland at Hywind Scotland and Kincardine.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) £160 m of funding is expected to unlock further deepwater port infrastructure and support private investment in new factories to mass-produce major components for floating offshore wind, with ambitions for projects off the coast of Wales.

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PD Ports is delighted to have entered into a long-term deal with Seajacks, a world-leader in offshore solutions, to bring their UK Marine base to the Tees Valley.

Formerly based in Amsterdam, the new agreement will see Seajacks utilising Cargo Fleet Wharf at Teesport Commerce Park to berth up to three of the world’s most advanced and capable self-propelled jack-up vessels whilst not out at work in the North Sea.

The first of these vessels, the Kraken, successfully moored at Teesport Commerce Park recently, reinforcing the strength of the Tees Valley’s position in the global offshore wind industry.

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Orbital Marine Power Ltd are currently building the world’s most powerful tidal turbine and it is with no sense of concession they have engaged a supply chain here in the UK that is delivering over 75% (by value) of the turbine.

Steel from Motherwell, layering composites for rotors in Gosport, casting iron in Scunthorpe, fabricating in Llangefni, machining hydraulic cylinders in Sheffield, assembling mechanical systems in Workington, welding in Fife, wiring electrical connectors in Southampton, installing offshore infrastructure in Orkney, assembling the most impressive tidal turbine the world has ever seen in Dundee.

By building in the UK, they have enabled UK suppliers to commit their fantastic capabilities to deliver their vision and uphold their standards and principles.

Well done to Andrew Scott and the team at Orbital for believing in the flexibility and capabilities of the UK supply chain, rather than assume the default position of always tendering the use of foreign yards.

Thanks also for recognising the key role maritime SMES play in driving the success of projects, such as yours.

Worth noting UK governmentUK Ministry of DefenceScottish National Party (SNP) that its possible! A poignant reminder as we seek to deliver the aims of the refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy.

To any Maritime SME out there who wants to signify to buyers, consumers, and specifiers, that their business associates with the globally well-regarded UK brand of maritime excellence, you can register for free as a National Maritime ‘ Hybrid Blue Prime’ partner and we will send you the full suite of UK quality marks to get you started.

Thanks again Orbital for making the case for UK business.

Sourced, Serviced, Produced in the United Kingdom

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bp and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG have awarded Fugro a geotechnical site investigation contract for their new offshore wind farms, Morgan and Mona, located in the Irish Sea.

This marks bp’s entry into the UK’s offshore wind power sector and, when complete, Morgan and Mona will have a combined generating capacity of 3 GW, sufficient to power the equivalent of 3.4 million UK households with clean electricity.

Fieldwork will run from May to September 2022, with the site located approximately 30 km off the coast of North Wales and North West England in an area known for its severe currents and challenging offshore environment. Fugro will rely on their premium vessels, Fugro Synergy and the Normand Mermaid, to complete geotechnical investigations. These operations will also include the use of Fugro’s SEACALF® Mk V Deepdrive system for seabed cone penetration tests (CPTs), as well as the SEADEVIL® for vessel-based and seafloor downhole testing.

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A study commissioned by Crown Estate Scotland has concluded that connecting offshore wind installations directly to oil and gas platforms would help decarbonisation, support economic activity, and help new companies enter the offshore renewable energy sector. 

The report follows the announcement in February 2022 of the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) offshore wind leasing process proposed by Crown Estate Scotland. INTOG is the first leasing process of its type, bringing together the oil and gas industry and offshore wind sector to help achieve shared goals of innovation and decarbonisation. 

INTOG will see developers applying for the rights to build small scale innovative offshore wind projects of less than 100MW, as well as larger projects connected to oil and gas infrastructure to provide electricity and reduce the carbon emissions associated with those sites. 

This new report says that with a rapidly expanding offshore wind market, large numbers of companies are now seeking to diversify into the sector, some for the first time. It highlights the combination of government policy, demand, and supporting infrastructure that make Scotland an attractive location. 

The report also highlights INTOG’s potential for off-grid solutions, by connecting wind turbines directly to oil and gas platforms, negating the need for connection to the shore.  

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Global offshore services business OEG Offshore has “massively broadened” its renewables capability by snapping up Manor Renewable Energy Ltd .

Acquisition of the temporary power, engineering and vessel business, which boasts group turnover in the region of £30m, advances OEG’s fast‐paced strategy to deliver integrated offshore service packages across the world.

Bringing Manor Renewables’ expertise, reputation and track record into the OEG fold instantly enhances its topside offering following its purchases last year of offshore welfare leaders Pegasus Welfare Solutions Ltd and offshore radio‐communications specialists Fern Communications Limited.

At the same time the purchase of Hughes Subsea Services last autumn expanded its subsea position in renewables installations and maintenance.

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