Haventus, the energy transition facilities provider, in combination with leading heavy-lift and transport solutions provider, Sarens PSG, has developed a low-cost solution for the integration and launch of floating offshore wind (FLOW) turbines.
This represents an important next step in Ardersier ETF’s aim to develop as the leading facility in the UK and Northern Europe for the industrialisation of FLOW.
Scotland is the global leader for FLOW deployment at scale, with around 24.5 GW of the seabed leased for FLOW development. These projects not only provide the backbone to plans for secure UK energy supply, but also create a generational opportunity for significant economic growth from the domestic manufacture and assembly of the various components. FLOW technology will bring high quality new jobs, sparking industrial renaissance in coastal communities, and creating new, exportable skills and know-how to European and global markets.
Haventus is working to enable wind project developers to acquire fully assembled floating bases and turbines in Scotland, at Ardersier, as well as providing dry storage, which does not require complex licensing. A heavy-lift solution will enable safe on-land integration and launch to the harbour of fully integrated FLOW turbines. This has the significant benefits of:
- Radically shortening supply chains through single-site sourcing of key components.
- Removing the operational, safety, logistical and engineering complexity that comes with storage and integration activities in the marine environment.
- Driving down the costs and accelerating FLOW deployment by simplifying transport and installation requirements.
- Removing the obstacles of weather and design life variables that must be considered with ‘wet’ storage and integration.
Haventus Chief Executive, Lewis Gillies, commented: “Industrialisation, innovation, and scale are critical to creating meaningful employment and to driving down the cost of FLOW to parity with fixed offshore wind, if not lower. These factors will put Scotland and the UK at the global forefront of FLOW. This heavy-lift solution, developed with Sarens PSG, is a radical departure from conventional practice; it will substantially reduce the cost of floating wind, which ultimately can help reduce all of our electricity bills.”
Sarens PSG Managing Director, Steve Clark, added: “This is potentially a game-changing step for FLOW. Industrial-scale deployment demands industrial-scale solutions and this partnership with Haventus can deliver exactly that. By executing all heavy lifting operations whilst the floater is still onshore, we’re enabling fully integrated wind turbines to be assembled and launched safely, efficiently, and independent of marine weather delays. This can be a milestone for Ardersier, with positive implications for the wider offshore wind industry.”
The Ardersier ETF, at a current developable land area of 350 acres, with proposals to extend to around 500 acres, is one of the few European facilities large enough to provide a land-based solution for these activities and Sarens PSG is one of the most experienced global heavy-lift solutions providers to the offshore wind industry.
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