Wood Thilsted and COP Frontier launch Neretek
Published by Jessica Casey,
Editor
Energy Global,
Global offshore wind engineering company, Wood Thilsted, in collaboration with COP Frontier (a sister company to offshore wind development leader, Copenhagen Offshore Partners [COP]) have launched NeretekTM, a new company established to unlock the vast global potential of deepwater offshore wind at low-cost and to deliver on the UK’s drive for energy security, jobs, investment, and growth in the low-carbon economy.
Industry veteran, Jonathan Cole, has been appointed as Executive Chair to lead the new company.
Neretek aims to deliver on its potential through its proprietary Neretek BC90TM technology – a next-generation offshore wind foundation that unlocks cost-effective deepwater deployment by delivering the simplicity of monopiles at transitional 60 – 90 m water depths – enabling scalable, lower-risk, and lower-cost wind energy in the UK’s emerging other deepwater offshore wind category.
Following a decade of research by leading offshore structural designers, Neretek aims to bridge the gap between fixed-bottom capability and floating viability in 60 – 90 m water depths, representing a new era for offshore wind as the Neretek BC90 is able to go into deeper waters and is able to access more areas of the seabed than ever before.
Today’s launch of Neretek comes at an important moment for global offshore wind, following the announcement of Allocation Round 8 (AR8) on 6 July where the UK government outlined its plans to grow the sector. The UK government proposals seek to exploit the UK’s potential for offshore wind in depths of 60 – 90 m: Neretek’s solution aims to answer this challenge.
Currently, a substantial volume of the UK’s strongest wind resources sit beyond the reach of fixed-bottom foundations, which become uneconomic in deeper waters. Until now, such projects have been considered solely for floating offshore wind, with cost and industrialisation considerations raising questions about the potential to deploy at scale in the near term.
Neretek’s ready-to-launch BC90 is deployable using a combination of proven technologies, can be manufactured from existing local supply chain capabilities, and uses existing port infrastructure, without reliance on large specialist vessels. It presents the most cost-effective method to deploy in deep waters with significantly lower CAPEX than deepwater monopiles or jackets in depths of 60 – 90 m.
Developed in the UK, Neretek’s solution is well positioned to take advantage of global demand to build offshore wind structures in deeper, more challenging environments in Europe and in Southeast Asia.
Jonathan Cole, Chair of Neretek and former Chair of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said: “Neretek’s new BC90 technology is capable of removing the potential hiatus between existing fixed offshore wind designs and yet-to-be-commercialised floating offshore wind. This allows the offshore industry to maintain momentum at a critical time for the delivery of clean, affordable, secure energy supplies. We are delighted to launch the Neretek BC90 less than 24 hours after one of the most ambitious offshore wind auctions yet – AR8. This bodes well for the UK’s leadership plans in offshore wind for jobs, growth, investment, and wealth generation in different communities across the country.”
Alastair Muir Wood, Founder and CEO of Wood Thilsted, added: “Wood Thilsted and COP Frontier have developed an innovative market-first solution to one of the most challenging questions in offshore wind engineering – how to provide an affordable solution to fixed structures at depths of 60 – 90 m. We are confident that the Neretek BC90 provides such a solution through rigorous research, design and testing. Moreover, by utilising existing supply chains and materials, we believe that we have found a cost-effective, deployable solution to exploiting the stronger winds in deeper waters.”
Alan Hannah, COO of COP Frontier, commented: “We are taking decisive action to ensure that critical renewable energy infrastructure continues to be developed and deployed at the pace required to meet global climate and energy transition goals. Neretek’s BC90 technology represents an important step forward for the offshore wind industry. By directly addressing some of the sector’s most pressing cost and development challenges, it has the potential to improve project viability, accelerate deployment, and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of offshore wind. We believe solutions such as BC90 will be instrumental in maintaining momentum and unlocking more offshore wind in the UK and around the world.”
Energy Minister, Michael Shanks, concluded: “From two small turbines off Blyth 25 years ago to an industry now delivering thousands of good jobs and clean homegrown power, offshore wind has become the backbone of our clean power mission.
“As we tap into Britain’s famously windy shoreline, we’re cutting exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets and lowering bills for good. But to unlock our full potential, we need companies like Neretek to go further out into deeper waters and deliver the next generation of offshore wind.”
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