Understanding the Future Challenges and Requirements for Installation Vessels to Install Larger Offshore Turbines and Foundations in Deeper Water

Thursday, 22 April 2010

 

Format of Presentation

1. Overview of the growth in the offshore wind farm installation market.

2. Trends in capital costs of offshore wind farms.

3. Overview of current vessels in use and future vessels being planned.

4. Challenges in deeper water and installing larger turbines.

5. Commercial implications and technological challenges.

Predicted Future Growth in the Offshore Wind Farm Market

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Year

Win

d Fa

rm C

apac

ity (N

ew

Inst

alla

tions

) [M

W]

BEDEDKEIESFIFRITNLNOSEUKEurope

Predicted Future Growth in the UK Offshore Wind Farm Market

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Year

Win

d F

arm

Ca

pa

cit

y (

Ne

w

Ins

talla

tio

ns

) [M

W]

ad-hoc

ScottishRound

Round 3

Round Ext1&2

Round 2

Round 1

North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm

North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm

1. First major offshore UK wind farm.

2. Installed using “first generation” installation vessels, including the

Excalibur.

3. The project also utilised the concept of floated monopiles delivered

to site.

4. Very successful project - but challenges of Round 2.5 and Round 3

projects will be significantly different as the industry matures.

5. Industry now moving into a completely different phase – with new

technical and commercial challenges.

Bubble area represents project capacity

Sheringham Shoal

Rhyl FlatsRobin Rigg

Alpha Ventus

Horns Rev II

Gunfleet Phase I

Gunfleet Phase II

Greater Gabbard

Thanet

LID

Samsø

Nysted

Horns Rev

North Hoyle

Scroby Sands

Kentish FlatsBarrow

Egmond

Lillgrund

Princess Amalia (Q7)

Thornton Bank

0

1

2

3

4

2000 2005 2010

Year (main contracts signed)

Proj

ect C

apEx

(£

M /

MW

)

Contracted (Pre 2009 Budget)

Under Construction

Operational

Capital CostsLearning from the past

Strengthening

onshore demand

Early

Competition

(and losses)

NEG Micon

Merger

V90 Sales

Suspension

WTG EBIT

Shift

Sterling

Collapse

EPC

Withdrawal

GE

Withdrawal

Commodities

Peak

Vessels

Crunch

Current and Future Installation Vessels

There are a number of vessels which are now commonly used by the

offshore wind farm industry. These vessels such as the Seajack the MPI

Resolution and others have established a good track record and now have

consistent utilisations. However, this was not always the case in the early

days.

There are now a significant number of new build vessels under construction.

Some will be delivered in months, other in two years time. The market is

reacting to demand.

However – will these vessels be capable of meeting the challenges of the

new developments or will they be under specified??

Offshore Wind Farm Construction Vessels

Vessel name Owner Length Width Max

operating water depth

Loading capacity

Max crane capacity

Sea Jack A2SEA 91m 33m 35m 4000t 1300t

Lisa SMIT 69m 39m 38m 1600t 600t

Odin Hochtief 46m 30m 45m 900t Crawler

Excalibur Seacore 60m 32m 35m 1350t 280t

Resolution* MPI 130m 38m 25m/35m 4550t 300t

Sea Energy* A2SEA 91m 21m 24m unknown 200t

Sea Power* A2SEA 91m 21m 24m unknown 200t

Zeebouwer GeoSea 42m 20m 32m 600t Crawler

Buzzard GeoSea 43m 30m 40m 1300t 198t

Vagant GeoSea 43m 22m 30m unknown Crawler

m/v Wind De Brandt 55m 18m unknown 1900t Crawler

Titan 2* Atlantic Marine 54m 34m 40/60m 450t 2 x 180t

JB-109/110 Jack-up Barge 55m 32m 40m 1250t 300t

JB-114/115 Jack-up Barge 55m 32m 40m 1250t 300t

Kraken* Seajacks 76m 36m 48m 900t 300t

Leviathan* Seajacks 76m 36m 48m 900t 300t

Challenges for Future Projects

• Projects are moving further offshore - 30 km - 120 km is possible in

the future

• Distances from support ports are increasing

• Water depths are increasing - up to 75 m

• Environmental conditions are becoming more challenging in deeper

water

• Offshore sites are being approved even where there are difficult

geotechnical and environmental conditions

Challenges for Future Projects Project Size

Year Range 2002 - 2008 2009 - 2011 2012 - 2015 2016 -2020

Typical no.

WTGs per project

20 - 80 80 - 140 80 - 200 100 - 1000

Typical WTG Size

2 - 3 MW 3 - 3.6 MW 3 - 5 MW 5 - 7 MW??

Construction Period

1 - 2 years 2 years 2 - 3 years 2 - 6 years

Predicted Future Depth of Water for Installations in the UK Offshore Wind Farm Market

United Kingdom

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Year

Supp

ort S

truc

ture

In

stal

latio

ns

>75m

50-75m

40-50m

30-40m

20-30m

10-20m

0-10m

Challenges in Deeper Water

• Larger vessels which must be more tolerant of more extreme

environmental conditions

• Supply logistics to the offshore site becomes even more critical

• More service vessels required

• Any delays or operational problems have even more impact on the

project

Estimated Changing Trends in the Supply of Offshore Wind Turbines

United Kingdom

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020Year

Win

d Tu

rbin

e In

stal

latio

ns

by W

TG C

apac

ity C

lass

7-10 MW Class

5-6 MW Class

3-4 MW Class

Impact from Increasing Turbine Sizes and Weights

Turbine Size Nacelle Weight

(incl. rotor)

Hub Height Tower Weight

3 MW Approx. 110 MT 75 – 90 m Approx. 110 MT

3.6 MW Approx. 185 MT 75 – 90 m Approx 170 MT

6 MW 310 – 400 MT 100 – 120 m 300 – 500 MT

Implications for Change in Turbine Type and Size to the Installation Market

• Dominated by 3MW class turbines in first half of decade; with 5MW

offerings anticipated from all players by 2015, 5MW becomes primary

turbine class

• The implication is less turbine numbers on fixed development projects

• Larger and heavier turbines and support structures all needing to be

installed in deeper water

Foundation Types

There are four common foundations types currently in use:

• Monopile (the dominant type in the current market)

• Gravity Base

• Jacket

• Tripod

In the future alternatives may be introduced:

• Floating Jackets

• Tension Leg Platform Structures

• Suction Pile Foundation

• Spar Type Structures

• Plus many others on the drawing board

Monopile Foundation

D

Pile

Transition piece

Gravity Base Type Foundation

Tripod Structure Foundation

Jacket Type Foundation

Changes in Foundation Types

The monopile has been the foundation of choice for the offshore wind farm

industry to date.

The position will change in 5 to 6 years time with jacket foundations

becoming the more important foundation for the industry. This will be a

commercial driven decision.

Changes in Foundation Types – Estimated Profile for UK Developments

United Kingdom

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020Year

Foun

datio

ns In

stal

led

Other FoundationGBSJacketsMonopiles

Commercial Implications & Technological Challenges

The following challenges will have to be met by the new installation

vessels:

• The vessels must have the capability to work in much deeper water

• The vessels will have to be capable of installing a variety of different

foundation types and larger turbines

• The vessels will have to have significantly more lift capacity than those

currently deployed on the markets. 1200 lift capacity cranes are likely

to be required

• The vessels will have to be more efficient when working offshore –

larger deck space, efficient supply and handling of components and

accommodation for larger crews

• The vessels will have to maintain or improve upon the cost installation

element as part of the overall cost per MW of the development

Construction at Thanet – The World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm MV Resolution in the Foreground and Seajack in the Distance

Any Questions Please