The key to unlocking the UK’s Floating Offshore Wind Industry

With an upward trajectory in offshore wind projects globally, the challenges to meet 2030 net zero targets are significant.

The key to unlocking this potential resides in port infrastructure assessment and selection. This will support projects during both the construction and O&M phases. These challenges are recognised across bottom fixed projects however, Offshore Floating Wind, (OFW) has seen a set of new challenges that need to be addressed.

Ports are required for substructure construction, turbine assembly, moorings, subsea cables, and operation. Large areas are required for the laydown of mooring equipment, inter array cables, turbine blades and nacelles. Assessing the capabilities of established port facilities as well as reviewing new infrastructure to support floating wind farm construction is key. Elements such as local content/supply chain, methods of launching assets from quayside, weather, vessel selection and Transport and Installation, (T&I), strategies need to be assessed to build out a competent and credible supply base.

These challenges are being faced across the APAC region, Americas, and Europe by Global Maritime with recent project involvement in Japan, South Korea, Australia, West Coast US, Norway, and UK & Ireland. Whilst the locations vary, the drivers behind utilisation of ‘local infrastructure’ remains due to local content. The Scotwind Leasing round for example requires early supply chain commitments to be defined as well as a significant local content requirement across the project lifecycle. Similarly in USA where these challenges are exasperated by Jones Act legislation. Australia, South Korea, and Japan all have similar challenges with large commitments made in terms of bottom fixed and floating wind development and very ambitious 2030 Net Zero targets.

Global Maritime have been working in the energy sector for many decades. With over 20 years offshore wind experience, the work in Port & Infrastructure assessment and Transport & Installation strategy development started in the infancy stage of offshore wind and has evolved with the industry as projects have got larger and moved further offshore. The floating wind landscape again has brought new challenges and it is these challenges that Global Maritime are addressing to bring solutions and de-risk projects.

This is achieved largely through our ability to combine specialist engineering, including integrated geoscience, structural engineering, hydrodynamics, and naval architectures, as well as a significant team of Master mariners and a dedicated Marine Operations business stream who are responsible for delivering large complex marine logistics projects.

With recent projects completed in relation to the Celtic and Irish Sea leasing round, Scotwind and West Coast USA, Global Maritime have utilised this experience and our proprietary Event Simulation software OPSIM to define port suitability , enable down selection of floater technology and launching methods, de-risk projects in terms of weather , review wet storage and Navigation risk as well as understand CAPEX cost implications for port upgrades, capital dredging campaigns and seabed risk.

Whilst these challenges are wide and varied, early and open engagement will serve to de risk and enable development of strategies and commitments from stakeholders to invest and allow for the Floating wind sector to progress onwards towards its goal of contributing towards the energy mix.

Global Maritime will be speaking at the upcoming Power and Energy Conference in Cork, Ireland discussing these challenges and how to overcome for the Irish offshore industry.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE