The Anonymous Widower

UK And Germany Boost Offshore Renewables Ties

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

A new partnership between the UK and German governments has been agreed on 3 November to help secure safe, affordable, and clean energy for consumers in both nations for the long-term and bolster energy security. Both countries commit to strengthening cooperation in renewables, notably offshore wind and electricity interconnection.

These two paragraphs introduce the deal.

Under the new partnership signed in London by Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho and Germany’s Vice Chancellor, Robert Habeck, the UK and Germany have reaffirmed their shared ambition and commitment to net zero and progressing the energy transition.

Europe’s two largest economies have also doubled down on commitments made under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

i think this could be a worthwhile follow-up to the relationship, that Boris Johnson and Olaf Scholz seemed to encourage after their high profile meeting in April 2022.

This press release from Downing Street is entitled PM meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: 8 April 2022 and this is the first two paragraphs.

The Prime Minister welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Downing Street this afternoon to discuss the West’s response to Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

The two leaders shared their disgust at the Russian regime’s onslaught and condemned Putin’s recent attacks.

I wrote Armoured Vehicles For Ukraine based on some of the things said in the press conference after what seemed to be a very wide discussion.

But it was these paragraphs in the press release that caught my eye.

They also agreed on the need to maximise the potential of renewable energy in the North Sea and collaborate on climate ambitions and green energy.

The Prime Minister said he wanted to further deepen the UK’s relationship with Germany, and intensify its cooperation across defence and security, innovation and science.

After Boris and Olaf’s meeting at Downing Street, I have been able to write these posts about the Anglo-German energy relationship and also make some other observations.

• Mona, Morgan And Morven
• UK-German Energy Link Reaches Financial Close
• RWE, Siemens and other German companies seem to be building a strong presence in the UK.
• Rolls-Royce are doing the same in Germany.

Claire Coutinho and Robert Habeck seem to be wanting to continue the co-operation, judging by this paragraph from the article on offshoreWIND,biz.

The energy and climate partnership sees both countries commit to enhancing cooperation in renewables, particularly in offshore wind and electricity interconnection, including offshore hybrid interconnection.

The most significant part of this paragraph is the mention of offshore hybrid interconnection.

If you want more details on their meeting, this document is the official UK Government declaration.

I have my thoughts.

What Is Meant By Offshore Hybrid Interconnection?

Type “Offshore Hybrid Interconnection” into Google and the first page is this page from National Grid, that is entitled Offshore Hybrid Assets, that has this sub-heading.

How the North Sea has the potential to become Europe’s green energy ‘powerhouse’

This is the introductory paragraph.

Now more than ever we need more renewable energy to make energy cleaner, more affordable, and more secure. The North Sea offers an incredible opportunity for the UK and our European neighbours to deliver huge increases in offshore wind. But delivering new offshore wind will require more infrastructure, which will have an impact on communities.

Hybrid is all-purpose comfort word like cashmere, platinum or puppies.

The page on the National Grid web site describes The Next Generation Interconnector with these paragraphs.

Interconnectors already provide a way to share electricity between countries safely and reliably. But what if they could do much more than that? What if interconnectors could become an offshore connection hub for green energy?

Instead of individual wind farms connecting one by one to the shore, offshore hybrid assets (OHAs) will allow clusters of offshore wind farms to connect all in one go, plugging into the energy systems of neighbouring countries.

And then there is this section entitled Tomorrow’s Solution: Offshore Wind And Interconnectors In Harmony, where this is said.

Today, offshore wind and interconnectors operate alongside each other, connecting to the shore individually. In the future, offshore hybrid assets could enable offshore wind and interconnection to work together as a combined asset.

We now call this type of infrastructure an offshore hybrid asset (OHA), but we used to refer to it as a multi-purpose interconnector (MPI). We changed it because we work so closely together with Europe, it made sense to use the same terminology.

The page on the National Grid web site also has an interactive graphic, which shows the benefit of the approach.

LionLink

National Grid are already developing LionLink, with Dutch grid operator; TenneT, which will be a multi-purpose interconnector linking the UK and the Netherlands.

LionLink is described on this page from National Grid, where this is the sub-heading.

We’re developing a first-of-its-kind electricity link to connect offshore wind between the UK and the Netherlands.

This is the introductory paragraph.

Designed together with our Dutch partners TenneT, LionLink (formerly known as EuroLink) is an electricity link that can supply around 1.8 gigawatts of clean electricity, enough to power approximately 1.8 million British homes. By connecting Dutch offshore wind to Dutch and British markets via subsea electricity cables called interconnectors, LionLink will strengthen our national energy security and support the UK’s climate and energy goals.

Will we be planning a similar electric handshake with the Germans?

How Much Offshore Wind Power Are We Talking About?

This is answered by the last two paragraphs of the article on offshoreWIND.biz.

Around 75 per cent of installed offshore wind capacity in the North Sea is in German and British waters. This is helping to drive the UK’s ambition for up to 50 GW of offshore wind, including up to 5 GW of floating wind, by 2030, the governments said.

Germany is aiming at installing 30 GW by 2030.

That is an Anglo-German starter for eighty GW.

Electrolysers In The Middle If The North Sea

Why Not?

This is a clip from  National Grid’s graphic on the page that introduces Offshore Hybrid Assets,

It shows an offshore hydrogen electrolyser.

• You could have an offshore hybrid asset that went between say Bacton in Norfolk and Hamburg via these assets.
• One or more wind farms in UK territorial waters.
• A mammoth offshore electrolyser, with hydrogen storage, possibly in a depleted gas field.
• One or more wind farms in German territorial waters.

Electricity will be able to go three ways; to the UK, to Germany or to the electrolyser.

The Involvement Of German Energy Companies In UK Territorial Waters

Wikipedia lists offshore fifteen wind farms, that have German owners in UK territorial waters, that total 12,960 MW.

This compares with.

• Equinor – 6 wind farms totalling 6466 MW.
• Ørsted – 15 wind farms totalling 9683 MW.
• Scottish Power – 2 wind farms totalling 5,000 MW.
• SSE Renewables – 15 wind farms totalling 15,591 MW.
• Vattenfall – 6 wind farms totalling 4384 MW.

As there is a number of partnerships, these figures only show the relative sizes of the investment by individual companies.

But at nearly 13 GW, the amount of total German investment in UK territorial waters is substantial.

Is This Solely An Anglo-German Club Or Can Others Join?

Consider.

• It seems to me, that because of the LionLink, the Dutch are already involved.
• TenneT is also a large electricity distributor in Germany.
• Countries with substantial shares of the water and winds of the North Sea in addition to Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, include Belgium, Denmark and Norway.
• The UK has interconnectors with Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.

It appears that the world’s largest multi-national power generator is evolving by stealth.

North Sea Wind Power Hub

This concept seems to have developed around 2017, by Danish, Dutch and German interests.

The Wikipedia entry introduces it like this.

North Sea Wind Power Hub is a proposed energy island complex to be built in the middle of the North Sea as part of a European system for sustainable electricity. One or more “Power Link” artificial islands will be created at the northeast end of the Dogger Bank, a relatively shallow area in the North Sea, just outside the continental shelf of the United Kingdom and near the point where the borders between the territorial waters of Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark come together. Dutch, German, and Danish electrical grid operators are cooperating in this project to help develop a cluster of offshore wind parks with a capacity of several gigawatts, with interconnections to the North Sea countries. Undersea cables will make international trade in electricity possible.

Currently, the UK is developing these wind farms on their portion of the Dogger Bank.

• Doggerbank A – 1235 MW – Started producing electricity in 2023.
• Doggerbank B – 1235 MW – Planned commissioning in 2024.
• Doggerbank C – 1218 MW – Planned commissioning in 2025.
• Doggerbank D – 1320 MW – Being planned.
• Doggerbank South – 3000 MW – Being planned.

Note.

1. That’s a total of 8 GW.
2. A, B, C and D are being developed by a consortium of SSE Renewables and Equinor.
3. South is being developed by RWE.
4. This web site is for Dogger Bank D.
5. This web site is for Dogger Bank South.

This map from the European Atlas of the Seas, shows the various exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the North Sea.

Note.

1. The pinkish zone to the East of the UK, is the UK’s EEZ.
2. The light blue zone at the top is Norway’s EEZ.
3. The greenish zone in the North-East corner of the map is Denmark’s EEZ.
4. The light blue zone below Denmark’s EEZ is Germany’s EEZ.
5. Then we have the EEZs for The Netherlands, Belgium and France.

The Dogger Bank is situated where the British, Dutch, German and Norwegian EEZs meet.

All five Dogger Bank wind farms are in British waters.

The Wikipedia entry for the Dogger Bank says this about its size.

The bank extends over about 17,600 square kilometres (6,800 sq mi), and is about 260 by 100 kilometres (160 by 60 mi) in extent. The water depth ranges from 15 to 36 metres (50 to 120 ft), about 20 metres (65 ft) shallower than the surrounding sea.

This probably makes it easy to accommodate a large fixed-foundation wind farm.

Overlaying the map in the Wikipedia entry, with the EEZ map, I’m fairly sure that the northeast end of the Dogger Bank is close to where the EEZs meet.

Progress On The North Sea Wind Power Hub

The North Sea Wind Power Hub has a web site, but it seems to be more about thinking than doing.

It seems to have been hijacked by that august body; The Institute of Meetings Engineers.

This page on the web site, which is entitled Explore The Future Energy Highways, has a simple interactive map.

This shows its vision for 2030.

Note.

1. Yellow is electricity links to be built before 2030.
2. Blue is hydrogen links to be built before 2030.
3. Feint lines indicate the EEZ boundaries.

There are two problems with this layout.

• It doesn’t connect to the Dogger Bank area, where the original plan as detailed in Wikipedia talked about “Power Link” artificial islands.
• No hydrogen is delivered direct to Germany.

This shows its vision for 2050.

Note.

1. Yellow, blue and feint lines are as before.
2. White is electricity links to be built before 2050.
3. There appears to be a node on the Dogger Bank in the German EEZ. This node could be connected to the “Power Link” artificial islands.
4. The Southernmost connection to East Anglia could be Bacton.
5. The other Norfolk connection could be where wind farms are already connected.
6. The Northern connection could be Teesside, where some of the Dogger Bank wind farms connect.
7. If the Northern connection to England is Teesside, then first node, which is in the British EEZ,  could be one of the offshore sub-stations in the Dogger Bank wind farm complex.

This all seems a lot more feasible.

A New Offshore Hybrid Asset Between Teesside And Germany

Consider.

• A new offshore sub-station will be needed in the German EEZ to connect the “Power Link” artificial islands to the power network.
• The new offshore sub-station will eventually have three interconnectors to the German coast.
• Only the 1218 MW Dogger Bank C wind farm will be connected to the Teesside onshore substation.
• Germany has a power supply problem, after shutting down nuclear power stations and building more coal-fired power stations.

A new Offshore Hybrid Asset between Teesside and Germany could be created by building the following.

• A the new offshore sub-station in the German EEZ to connect the “Power Link” artificial islands to the power network.
• An interconnector between a sub-station of the Dogger Bank wind farm complex and the new sub-station
• A second interconnector to connect the new sub-station for the “Power Link” artificial islands to the German electricity grid.

All of the work would be done mainly in the German EEZ, with a small amount in the British EEZ.

Where Does Dogger Bank South Fit In?

Consider.

• Dogger Bank South is planned to be a 3 GW wind farm.
• It will need a 3 GW connection to the onshore electricity grid.
• Creyke Beck substation is the proposed location for the onshore connection.
• It is owned by German electricity company; RWE.

Could it be that some of the electricity produced by Dogger Bank South is going to be sent to Germany or to another node to produce hydrogen?

It certainly illustrates the value of an Offshore Hybrid Asset.

November 4, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Energy, Hydrogen | Boris Johnson, Claire Coutinho, Dogger Bank, Dogger Bank South Wind Farm, Dogger Bank Wind Farms, Equinor, Germany, Interconnectors, LionLink, Multi-Purpose Interconnector, National Grid, Offshore Hydrogen Production, Offshore Wind Power, Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Rolls-Royce, RWE, Siemens, SSE Renewables, TenneT | 4 Comments