UK: A2SEA Demonstrates Overcoming Offshore Wind Logistic Problems

A2SEA Chief Operation Officer demonstrates how to overcome the logistic problems posed on the Ormonde offshore wind farm to deliver on time, incident free and on budget. Adoption of an end to end approach and employing a blend of cutting edge and proven techniques means A2SEA boost one of the most enviable track records in global offshore wind construction.

Hans Schneider, the COO of A2SEA , explains how, alongside REpower and ODE, the company approached the logistics for the Ormonde wind project, given the transit times of over 24 hours from port to project.

With regulations on working hours and weather windows that could close in mere hours, there was little room for error when it came to installation of Ormonde. Now it’s complete, the offshore wind farm is looked upon as a test case for “good practice”.

Jon Harman, Head of Offshore Business at leading industry think tank Wind Energy Update, sat with colleagues at a recent “meet the public” wind event. “Specific challenges related to offshore wind construction include the approach for turbine logistics, the planning for transportation and the lifting of the large components into place. A poor approach at any of these stage is proven to unravel a project’s timeframe.”

Schneider goes into detail about the approach for turbine logistics, the planning for transportation and the lifting of the large components into place.

Schneider was speaking at the 2011 Offshore Wind Construction, Installation and Commissioning conference (OWCIC), the leading B2B event that tackles the critical issues facing offshore wind installation.

OWCIC returns this year, not to London but to Hamburg, Germany – the centre of offshore excitement for the next five years according to a recent Wind Energy Update survey. This construction specific conference will bring together the key developers, utilities, contractors, government representatives, and many more. Confirmed participants include E.ON Climate & Renewables, Vattenfall, Mainstream Renewable Power,BARD,RWE,C-Power,TenneT, and 50 Hertz.

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Offshore WIND staff, August 3, 2012; Image: Vattenfall