Trollvind – hot project in Manchester
Last week Head of Business Development Daniel Miravalles visited Manchester (UK) to attend Global Offshore Wind 2022. The industry, politicians, and stakeholders gathered to discuss the ambitions, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead.
– The UK is the European country with the highest installed offshore wind capacity and has set a target to quadruple it in a few short years. It is the most attractive market in Europe and the main players in the industry are. This is a great opportunity to share insights, learn and broaden our network, says Miravalles.
In cooperation with NORWEP and Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Embassy in London welcomed a Norwegian and British delegation to kick off the event with a networking reception. Photo: Daniel Miravalles.
Time to deliver
The first day was kicked off with a panel on how offshore wind is growing globally, with ambitions of up to 145GW in Europe by 2030.
– One of the main challenges addressed was the skill gap and skills transition, that companies are facing across the entire supply chain. A supply chain that is also facing concerns about capacity and investments, says Miravalles.
Head of Renewables North Sea Area Development at Equino Matei Negrescu and Head of Strategy and Regulation Matthew Wright at National Grid ESO joined the unanimous call for collaboration in these areas.
The next generation of offshore wind
Grids, vessels, and turbine sizes were the main focus of the discussion. The new bigger turbines mean a high CAPEX for vessel construction and more available area in ports, where the space is very limited.
How big should we go, and should we standardize them at some point? These were some of the questions that Head of Global Offshore Product Market Strategy at Vestas Albert Winnemuller, and Head of Offshore Technology Management at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Daniel Von Heimendahl, handled.
– When it comes to building the net-zero power grid, there is a need for collaboration between public authorities and wind developers is key, says Miravalles.
From left: Stephen Bull (EVP Renewables, Aker Solutions); Trine Borum Bojsen (SVP North Sea Renewables Equinor), Emilie Reeve (EVP Offshore Wind Development, Havfram), Mary Thorogood (Government Relations, external Affairs and Communications Director, Net Zero Technology Centre), Giles Dickson (CEO, Wind EuropePhoto: Foto Wales.
Simplify the permit process
On the second day EVP Renewables of Aker Solutions Stephen Bull, EVP Offshore Wind of Havfram Emilie Reeve, and SVP North Sea Renewables at Equinor Trine Borum Bojsen led a lively discussion on the pathways to decarbonization. There, CEO of Wind Europe Giles Dickson encouraged the authorities to simplify the permit process and accelerate the deployment of offshore wind and solar, praising the CfD model and the non-price qualitative criteria, like the one announced for Utsira Nord.
– Better distribution of the development and inflation risk between the developers and the supply chain will also be key to building a competitive industry, says Dickson.
The industry is ready
Floating offshore wind was a hot topic, including the newly announced plans for Trollvind in Norway, with 1GW of floating offshore wind in the Troll area with a connection to shore.
– The size of the floating offshore wind turbines creates more opportunities to create local content, and its nature gives access to areas with different regimes and high-capacity factors.
Lead Advisor Floating Wind Wessels at Vestas Pablo Necochea emphasized that the industry is ready.
– We have the product, the tools, the OMM philosophy, etc. The bottleneck will not be the turbine, says Necochea, while Global Program Director at Ørsted Gabriel Davies stressed that the industry cannot work in silos.
– Joint industry groups are vital for the development of this industry.