The focus of the offshore wind industry understandably falls on the big challenges it faces. However, there is a range of practical services that may not immediately appear to fit into distinct categories of challenges – but will be absolutely essential to ensure FLOW runs smoothly. It is difficult to evaluate but there is high potential for regional economic benefit to be derived here.
"Logistics and services” is therefore an umbrella term which could include (but should not be limited to) a range of elements, all essential to the smooth deployment and running of FLOW:
- Haulage eg of aggregate
- Vessels
- Anchor storage
- Crew transfer
- Personnel provision
- Specialist Training
- Cranage
- Draft reduction technologies
- Wet storage
Many of these services are likely to require local know-how and may even provide a strong starting point for ambitious companies to expand into this new market.
The volume and scale of opportunity for floating offshore wind (FLOW) is unprecedented - but comes with major challenges.
FLOW will need to provide industrialized solutions, (reliability, cost and production volume) - a huge challenge for un-proven technology's.
Floating offshore wind turbines require inter-array cables to connect strings of turbines to the offshore substation, including the use of dynamic and static cable types. The current market for the Celtic Sea stands at 4.9GW (TCE Leasing Round 5 (4.5GW) plus 4 x T&D sites (400MW)). With a value of c.£1 billion. made up of cables, accessories, and offshore installation costs.1 This will require somewhere in the region of 41km of dynamic and 515km static cables, requiring 3-6 cable, laying vessels.2
Dynamic cable manufacturing capability does exist within the UK, however the scale and demand for floating offshore wind projects will present a significant capacity challenge. The demand for components (cable protection systems, bend stiffeners, buoyancy modules, dry and wet mate connectors etc.) as well as cables may require the expansion of existing, or development of additional manufacturing facilities, which adopt serial production techniques along with the distribution, logistics and ongoing maintenance services needed to access multiple markets The Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan has prioritised dynamic cable manufacture as ‘Make’ requiring investment of £30-50 million.3
Dynamic cables, connectors and other ancillary equipment are critical components in floating offshore wind projects, they represent a single point of failure for a turbine. In offshore wind more generally, cable technology has not proved to be as reliable as assumed in design and procurement activity. Issues include damage incurred during handling/installation, fatigue failures, manufacturing issues and cable exposure/re-burial. To date, cables have made up the largest share of insurance claims in the fixed market.4 Fresh thinking is therefore required on dynamic cables for successful and sustainable commercialisation of floating offshore wind.
Prior to offshore deployment dynamic cabling systems will require marshalling, assembly, integration and load out at a port facility. It is typical for some of these components to be assembled at the load out facility, whilst others are assembled on the vessel just prior to installation. These facilities are required to be coastal or on large rivers with direct access to the sea. Key requirements for the development of these facilities are access to a suitably large site (for component storage, laydown and assembly), appropriate specification of quayside and direct access to the sea for the transport of mooring systems direct to the project site.
Cable installation can take place well in advance of turbine installation, however, will require close coordination with project developers and regional Port operators, working in an environment with constrained Port capacity whilst multiple projects compete for quay side and vessels.
Operations & Maintenance of floating wind (FLOW) will involve the servicing of platforms the height of a sky-scraper many miles out to sea.
Around 260 such platforms are expected to be deployed in the Celtic Sea by the late 2030s. All will require scheduled and unscheduled maintenance of the turbines themselves - but also the towers, floating platforms, cables, moorings and anchors.
There is much uncertainty on how O&M will actually be completed for FLOW. But a wide range of expertise will certainly be required in; marine operations, vessels, sub-sea inspection, remote monitoring and more. There is therefore a real opportunity for ambitious approaches to service provision.
The concrete and aggregates supply-chain in Cornwall, Wales and the South-West has both capacity and capability (as demonstrated by Hinkley-C).
Huge potential then to build deliverability, resilience, and local content into the sub-structures for Floating Offshore Wind.
Anchors and Mooring (A&M) for floating offshore wind (FLOW) is a huge challenge but an area where the UK has real capabilities.
The Celtic Sea A&M market is represented by; The Crown Estates Leasing Round 5 (4.5GW), wet storage facilities (80 x berths equivalent to 1.2GW), T&D projects (400MW). This would equate to the installation of at least 1200 mooring lines and anchors, at an approximate value of £1.7bn.
Many elements remain unknown, notably the FLOW technology choice, seabed characteristics. Ambitious solutions are required.