Siemens announced the successful installation of two SWT-6.0 offshore wind turbines at Gunfleet Sands 3 offshore wind farm off the British coast. The installation was completed in under 24 hours for each unit, using the A2SEA wind turbine installation vessel – the Sea Installer.
DONG Energy has decided to build the Westermost Rough offshore wind farm, which is to be located in the North Sea, near the British east coast. The project represents a billion Euro investment, which includes construction of transmission assets.
Arise Windpower has entered into a conditional agreement with Havgul clean energy AS for a 130 MW wind power project located in Aremark, Norway. The project is currently in the process of receiving permits, while construction could start in 2014 at the earliest.
The Crown Estate recently announced a decision to invest up to GBP 20 million in two wave or tidal stream power projects, as support for the organization's strategy to encourage growth of the emerging tidal and wave energy sector. With potential of tens of gigawatts of wave and tidal power generation potential in UK coastal waters, the only thing necessary is to obtain significant investments and developments to get things going.
Hanwha Chemical Corporation is now officially the new owner of Q-Cells SE, as the company has formally been transferred. Q-Cells was involved in insolvency proceedings, but has been able to retain 80% of the workforce despite this process. The PV manufacturer has now become part of one of the largest corporations in South Korea.
Statoil and Statkraft have acquired the Dudgeon offshore wind farm project in UK waters, off the east coast of England. The project is located near another large offshore wind farm, the Sheringham Shoal. The project was acquired from Warwick Energy.
ČEZ announced the successful installation of the 216th wind turbine at the Fantanele-Cogealac wind farm in Romania. The wind farm now has a total of 540 MW of installed and operational capacity, giving ČEZ bragging rights as it touts the wind farm as the largest onshore wind project currently in operation in Europe. This aside, there is a more important dimension here – this is a very large scale wind project which has been developed in Eastern Europe, a region that has yet to see significant growth in the renewable energy sector.
Gamesa has received an order for 18 MW from TuuliWatti for four G128-4.5 MW units, along with service and maintenance for a period of ten years, extendible with another five years. This is the first time Gamesa will be delivering its wind turbines in Finland, marking the entry of the Spanish wind turbine manufacturer into this European wind market.
The Crown Estate has announced successful bidders for the offshore energy leasing rounds in Northern Ireland. Three offshore renewable energy sites have been awarded, totalling in 800 MW of capacity for development. The single largest development will be the offshore wind farm near the south east coast of County Down which could have as much as 600 MW of installed capacity.
Siemens announced the completion and commissioning of the company's latest and greatest wind turbines, the SWT-6.0-154 unit (6 MW), which has been successfully installed Østerild, Denmark. The installed unit is now generating power, which marks the beginning of the field testing process. This unit is the second 6 MW unit installed – the prototype, featuring a 120 meter rotor has been installed last year, and has been producing power for over a year now.
