The Anonymous Widower

SeAH To Deliver Monopiles For Vattenfall’s 2.8 GW Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Project

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

This is the sub-heading.

Vattenfall has signed a contract with SeAH Wind to provide the monopiles for the 2.8 GW Norfolk Vanguard East and Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind farms in the UK.

These two paragraphs outline the order.

The monopiles for the Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farms will weigh up to around 2,200 tonnes and have a length of up to 96 metres.

Production is due to start in 2026 at SeAH Wind’s new under-construction facility in Teesside, northeast England.

Note.

  1. Norfolk Vanguard now appears to be two 1.4 GW wind farms; East and West, which adds up to a 2.8 GW Norfolk Vanguard wind farm.
  2. There is no mention of the 1.4 GW Norfolk Boreas wind farm in the article, except that it has a Contract for Difference (CfD), whereas I don’t think Norfolk Vanguard has a contract.
  3. Would anybody buy wind farm foundations without a contract?

It looks like there has been some very tough negotiations between Vattenfall, the Crown Estate and the UK Government.

Is There An Alternative Approach?

Consider.

  • If Vattenfall develop all three wind farms; Boreas, Vanguard East and Vanguard West, they will have 4.2 GW of capacity, when the wind co-operates.
  • But East Norfolk is not noted for industries that need a large amount of electricity.
  • I also feel, that the locals would object to a steelworks or an aluminium smelter, just like they object to electricity cables.

But would they object to a 4 GW offshore electrolyser?

Could this be Vattenfall’s alternative approach?

  • A giant electrolyser is built close to the landfall of the cable to the wind farms.
  • The hydrogen could be piped to Bacton, where it could be blended with the UK’s natural gas.
  • Bacton also has gas interconnectors to Balgzand in the Netherlands and Zeebrugge in Belgium. Could these interconnectors be used to export hydrogen to Europe?
  • The hydrogen could be piped to Yarmouth, where it could be exported by tanker to Europe.

There would be only a small amount of onshore development and no overhead transmission lines to connect the wind farms to the National Grid.

There would be even less onshore development, if the electrolyser was offshore.

From their decisions, Vattenfall seem to have a new plan.

December 13, 2023 Posted by | Hydrogen | , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Aker Solutions Gets Vattenfall Nod To Start Norfolk Vanguard West Offshore Platform

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

This is the sub-heading.

Aker Solutions has been awarded a limited notice to proceed contract from Vattenfall for the Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind farm in the UK. The contract has a balanced risk-reward profile based on principles for long-term collaboration.

Vattenfall seems to be a bit stop and go on their two Norfolk wind farms; Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas.

These four paragraphs outline the work.

The scope of work for Aker Solutions includes the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of the high voltage direct current (HVDC) offshore substation.

The fabrication of the topside will be executed in a joint venture with Drydocks World Dubai, and the substructure will be fabricated at Aker Solutions’ yard in Verdal, Norway.

Located more than 47 kilometres from the Norfolk coast and with an installed capacity of 1.4 GW, Norfolk Vanguard West will be the first phase of Vattenfall’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, which also includes the Norfolk Vanguard East and Norfolk Boreas developments.

The Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind farm is subject to regulatory approvals and Vattenfall’s final investment decision.

Note that Vattenfall are now talking about three wind farms; Norfolk Vanguard West, Norfolk Vanguard East and Norfolk Boreas.

These three paragraphs talk about finance and costs from Aker Solutions point-of-view.

According to Aker Solutions, the company will at this stage book a contract value of about NOK 4 billion (about EUR 334 million) in the fourth quarter of 2023 in the Renewables and Field Development segment, reflecting the compensated work that is to be performed until the expected final investment decision.

Following the award, the total contract value for Aker Solutions is estimated to be about NOK 6 billion.

“The development of the entire Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone could ultimately require up to three HVDC platforms in succession, which would improve the long-term predictability and give positive repeat effects and standardization within the supplier industry,” said Sturla Magnus, Executive Vice President of New Build at Aker Solutions.

Could it be that a 3 x NOK 6 billion or £1.3 billion order has convinced Aker Solutions to invest alongside Vattenfall in the three Norfolk wind farms?

This map shows the two farms in relation to the coast.

Note.

  1. The purple line appears to be the UK’s ten mile limit.
  2. Norfolk Boreas is outlined in blue.
  3. Norfolk Vanguard is outlined in orange and has two parts; West and East.
  4. Cables will be run in the grey areas.

This second map shows the onshore cable.

Note.

  1. The cables are planned to come ashore between Happisburgh and Eccles-on-Sea.
  2. Bacton is only a short distance up the coast.
  3. The onshore cable is planned to go from here across Norfolk to the Necton substation.

This layout would appear to need only one offshore cable for all three wind farms.

Conclusion

Has Aker stepped in to rescue Vattenfall’s 4.2 GW project?

 

 

 

November 8, 2023 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , | 2 Comments

Vattenfall Stops Developing Major Wind Farm Offshore UK, Will Review Entire 4.2 GW Zone

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

This is the sub-heading.

Vattenfall has stopped the development of the Norfolk Boreas offshore wind power project in the UK and will review the way forward for the entire 4.2 GW Norfolk Zone, the Swedish energy company revealed in its interim report.

This is the first paragraph.

The developer said that the decision to stop the project was made due to ”challenging market conditions”, adding that ”financial frameworks have not adapted to reflect the current market conditions” so far.

Vattenfall are also complaining about inflation and cost increases if up to 40 %.

I have my thoughts.

Great Yarmouth Support Base

In some ways, I find this decision to pull out strange, as it was only in March this year that Vattenfall signed a contract with Peel Ports to build a support base for their Norfolk wind farms at Great Yarmouth.

I don’t think that Peel Ports will be too bothered, as they are a well-funded company and there are plenty of wind farm proposals in the sea around Norfolk, who could use a base at Great Yarmuth.

Cable Routes And Nimbys

These Norfolk wind farms have suffered opposition from Nimbys to the cable route, that will be taking the electricity away from the coast. This may have increased the cost of delivery of the electricity to market.

An Offshore Cable Route

In January 2022, I wrote Is There A Need For A Norfolk-Suffolk Interconnector?, where I analysed the amount of energy, that will be produce in Norfolk and Suffolk.

This was my conclusion.

I believe there are a lot of possibilities, that would meet the three objectives, I stated earlier.

    • Avoid as much disruption on the land as possible.
    • Create the capacity to deliver all the energy generated to customers, either as electricity or hydrogen.
    • Create an expandable framework, that would support all the wind farms that could be built in the future.

In addition, simple mathematics says to me, that either there will need to be extra capacity at both Bicker Fen and Bullen Lane substations and onward to the rest of the country, or a large electrolyser to convert several gigawatts of electricity into hydrogen for distribution, through the gas network.

Note.

  1. An offshore Multiple Purpose Interconnector (MPI) could be built between Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire and the Isle of Grain.
  2. An electrolyser could be built offshore, joined to the MPI and connected to the Bacton gas terminal.
  3. There could be local offshore hydrogen storage.
  4. Bicker Fen is connected to the Viking Link to Denmark.
  5. An offshore link could have its Southern end at the Isle of Grain, from where the electricity can be exported to Germany, by the NeuConnect interconnector, that is under construction.

There must be sufficient capacity, so that all energy is delivered to customers, as either electricity or hydrogen.

 

I’ve always favoured delivering electricity from these and other East Anglian wind farms with an offshore cable route away from the coast between perhaps Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire and the the Isle of Grain, from where the electricity can be exported to Germany, by an interconnector, that is being built.

Competition From Scotland

National Grid are improving the offshore grid between Scotland and Humberside, so perhaps Vattenfall might have a competition problem, when it comes to selling their electricity.

If you have no market for a product, then the price drops.

Is East Anglia A Bad Place To Have Surplus Electricity?

Consider.

  • It should also be remembered that East Anglia has no heavy electricity users.
  • There are also no substantial mountains for building large pumped-storage hydro schemes, as Scotland is proposing to do.
  • The construction of Sizewell C will add more electricity to the area.

In my view the best thing to do would be to build a giant electrolyser near the Bacton gas terminal.

Was It A Mistake For Vattenfall To Make A Bid?

Looking at the delivery problems for the Norfolk wind farms, I think that Vattenfall made a bad decision to bid for them.

  • The wind farms are too far North to serve London and the South-East and to export the electricity to the Continent.
  • They are also too far South to serve the industry in the North around the Humber and the Tees.

It looks an obvious case of wrong Location, Location and Location.

Could Norfolk Boreas And Norfolk Viking Work Economically?

I suspect these ideas could help.

  • A Multiple Purpose Interconnector (MPI) would be built between Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire and the Isle of Grain.
  • The MPI would connect to any wind farms on the route.
  • An offshore electrolyser opposite Bacton would be connected to the MPI to use surplus electricity to generate hydrogen, which would be distributed through the gas grid.

The whole network of wind farms, interconnectors, electrolysers and storage needs to be comprehensively designed, so that it provides the South-East corner of England, with enough reliable electricity and hydrogen.

July 20, 2023 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Vattenfall Selects Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone O&M Base

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

This is the sub-heading.

Vattenfall has selected Peel Ports as the preferred bidder, and its port at Great Yarmouth as the location for the operations and maintenance base of the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone in the UK.

This was said about the competition to host the facility.

Vattenfall said that the competition was fierce to secure the agreement with an excellent bid from Lowestoft and Associated British Ports. With both ports offering excellent services it is clear that East Anglia’s potential as a superpower of offshore wind is secure.

I have a few thoughts.

Lowestoft In Suffolk And Great Yarmouth In Norfolk Must Work Together

This Google Map shows the coast between the two ports.

Note.

  1. Great Yarmouth is at the top of the map.
  2. Lowestoft is at the bottom of the map.
  3. The two towns are less than twelve miles apart.
  4. The Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour, is towards the top of the map.

The Google Map shows the port in more detail.

Note.

  1. Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour only opened in 2009.
  2. It has an average depth of 10 metres.
  3. It was planned as a container port, but the ships didn’t materialise.
  4. Some consider it to be a bit of a white elephant.

Could the Outer Harbour be used to assemble floating wind turbines?

I think it could but at present, there are no plans to use floating wind turbines off the coast of Norfolk.

I suspect though, if someone decided to build floating wind farms to the East of the Vattenfall’s Norfolk Zone fields, that Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour could be used to assemble the floating wind turbines.

This Google Map shows the Port of Lowestoft.

Note.

  1. There is over a kilometre of quays.
  2. It doesn’t have the water depth of Great Yarmouth.
  3. There is a lot of brownfield sites along the River Waveney.
  4. The East Anglia One wind farm is managed from Lowestoft.

Both harbours have their good and bad points.

  • Both have good rail connections to Norwich.
  • Lowestoft has a rail connection to Ipswich and has been promised a London service.
  • Road connections to Ipswich and Norwich need improvement.

I suspect that it was a close contest, as to the port that got the Vattenfall contract.

A Lowestoft And Great Yarmouth Rail Connection

This map from Open RailwayMap between the two towns.

Note.

  1. The existing railways are shown in yellow.
  2. Former railways are shown in black dotted lines.
  3. There was even a railway along the coast.

The only rail connection between the ports is via Reedham, where the track layout is shown on this second OpenRailwayMap.

Note.

  1. Reedham station is in the North West corner on the line to Norwich.
  2. The line going North-East goes to Great Yarmouth.
  3. The line going South goes to Lowestoft.

There used to be a chord connecting Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, but it was cancelled by Beeching’s grandfather.

There is certainly scope to improve the rail connection between the two ports.

  • There could be a convenient change at Reedham, if the timetables were adjusted.
  • Trains could reverse at Reedham.
  • The chord could be reopened to allow direct trains.

It wouldn’t be the most challenging rail project to have an hourly rail service between the two ports.

A Lowestoft And London Rail Service

This was promised with a frequency of something like four trains per day (tpd)

I think it should run between London and Yarmouth with a reverse at Lowestoft.

March 17, 2023 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

9 Energy, House And Rail Projects Planned For Norfolk

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Eastern Daily Press.

The article is a survey of major projects across Norfolk.

Projects in the article with my thoughts will now be detailed.

Railway Village

This is described as follows in the article.

Plans to build a new 5,000-home town north of Dereham could take a significant step forward in 2023.

The proposals have been dubbed a ‘railway village’ and would lie close to the Mid Norfolk Railway at North Elmham.

The 1,278-acre site has been put forward by its owners as a potential area for development included in Breckland Council’s forthcoming local plan – a document detailing how the district should grow over the next two decades.

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows North Elmham and the Mid-Norfolk Railway.

Note.

  1. The yellow line is the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
  2. The site of the former North Elmham station is shown by the blue arrow at the top of the map.
  3. The orange line across the South-East corner of the map is the Breckland Line between Cambridge and Norwich.
  4. Wymondham station is on the Breckland Line, but trains between the Mid-Norfolk Railway and Norwich would be able to call at Wymondham station.

Wymondham station could be converted into a proper connection between the Breckland Line and the Mid-Norfolk Railway, with services being run between Norwich and North Elmham via Dereham.

In the Wikipedia entry for the Mid-Norfolk Railway, there is a section, which is entitled Community Railway, where this is the first paragraph.

The Mid-Norfolk Railway was established as a multi-functional line, with an intention to operate a community service in addition to tourist and freight services. The railway has also stated their belief that a commuter service between Dereham and Norwich remains a viable proposition, with the MNR either running the service themselves or working with an existing train operator. One obstacle on the MNR to running such services is the requirement to operate five manual gated level crossings between Dereham and Wymondham, although level crossing automation is a possibility in the future.

Later the section indicates that the Mid-Norfolk Railway could be extended to Fakenham.

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the original route between North Elmham and Fakenham.

Note.

  1. The yellow line is the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
  2. North Elmham station is at the top of the yellow.
  3. Fakenham is at the top of the map.

Adding Fakenham to the passenger service from Norwich would surely increase its viability.

There have been ambitions in the past to create a Norfolk Orbital Railway, that would connect the National Rail stations at Sheringham and Wymondham, using the tracks of the North Norfolk Railway and Mid-Norfolk Railway, and some new and relaid track.

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows North Norfolk from Fakenham and North Elmham in the West to Sheringham in the East.

Note.

  1. Fakenham is on the Western edge of the map about halfway up.
  2. North Elmham is in the South-West corner of the map, on the yellow line, what indicates the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
  3. The railway shown in the North-West corner is the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway. which is a 260 mm. gauge railway.
  4. Sheringham station, which has an hourly service to Norwich via Cromer, is in the North-East corner of the map.
  5. The Eastern terminus of the North Norfolk Railway is a short walk from Sheringham station.
  6. The blue arrow to the West of Sheringham station, indicates the Western terminus of the North Norfolk Railway at Holt station.

The Norfolk Orbital Railway would need to connect Fakenham and Holt, which doesn’t appear to be easy.

But if the connection could be made, Greater Anglia could run a combined service around the county, which would allow those living in the houses at North Elmham to get easily to the coast or the City of Norwich.

Wash Barrage

This is described as follows in the article.

A bid to build a tidal barrage stretching from Norfolk to Lincolnshire was unveiled at the end of last year.

While the scheme has seen objections from conservation groups, proponents say it would help protect the Fens from flooding, generate tidal power and would allow a new deep-sea container port to be built.

A planning application has yet to be submitted for the scheme, which Centre Port, the group behind the proposal, said could be operational by the end of the decade if given the go-ahead.

The Wash Barrier has a web site, but I doubt the RSPB will like it.

New Reservoir

The article says that the proposed site is between Chatteris and March in Cambridgeshire.

Long Stratton Bypass

This is described as follows in the article.

The Long Stratton Bypass has been mooted for decades and finally looked like it was going to get underway after funding was approved in 2021.

The scheme will mean motorists can avoid passing through the centre of the town.

It was needed, when C regularly commuted to Norwich in the 1980s.

Norwich Western Link

This is described as follows in the article.

The flagship infrastructure project has been thrown into doubt after County Hall announced an indefinite delay earlier this month.

The 3.9-mile road is designed to link the A47 with the NDR to the west of the city and has been hailed as a council priority for several years.

Climate protestors are mounting a High Court challenge.

Windfarms

These are described as follows in the article.

There are a series of major windfarms planned for the Norfolk coast.

These include Swedish energy giant Vattenfall’s Boreas and Vanguard projects, which could be some of the largest in the world.

The company was granted development consent for its Norfolk Vanguard windfarm in 2022, pledging to get underway early this year.

The two schemes could power more than 3.9m homes in the UK.

Hornsea Three, another major scheme which could power another 3.2m homes, is set to start being built in March.

Note.

  1. The author missed out the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Extension windfarms.
  2. Total wind power that will be developed is around 6 GW, which would supply around a quarter of the UK.

The only problem is that Norfolk is protesting against the cables to connect the wind farms to the National Grid.

I suspect they will have to be put under the sea. I wrote about this in Is There A Need For A Norfolk-Suffolk Interconnector?

New Rail Junctions

The problems around Ely station are described as follows in the article.

A key rail junction, which could help to boost growth across the region, could steam ahead this year.

Ely Junction is important because it links five lines connecting Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough and King’s Lynn.

It is currently operating at full capacity, which limits the opportunity for growth of routes for passenger and cross-country freight services.

It would also enable more frequent passenger services, including between King’s Lynn and London.

An outline business case was submitted to the Department for Transport last year to seek money for the next stage of the design process – but the government has yet to make a decision.

There are also problems at Haughley Junction.

Hospitals Rebuild

The article also puts the case for developing both King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth hospitals.

Conclusion

Norfolk is going to be busy.

 

March 2, 2023 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Next Generation Of Fixed Foundation Wind Farms

This article on offshoreWIND.biz, is entitled Offshore Wind Turbines In 2022: 15 MW Prototypes Starting To Spin In Europe, Chinese Rolling Out 16 MW Models, Windcatcher And VAWTs Secure Demo Projects.

The title itself, shows 15-16 MW wind turbines and the text lists three European 15 MW and two Chinese 16 MW wind turbines, that are being developed.

This paragraph also indicates that Siemens Gamesa are in the running for orders.

So far, the SG 14-236 DD wind turbine has been selected as a preferred option for the Norfolk Vanguard and Boreas wind farms offshore the UK, as well as for the MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III wind farms in the Polish Baltic Sea.

Large turbines with a capacity of 15 MW and upwards appear to be becoming the new normal.

Water depths for these large turbines are forecast to be deeper than the two Norfolk wind-farms, which are between 22 and 40 metres.

This means that foundations will get much larger and heavier.

This article on offshoreWIND.biz, is entitled New Monopile Installation Method Attracts Major Backer, describes a new generation of monopiles as 100-130 metres in length, 12-15 metres in outer diameter, and a weight of up to 5,000 tonnes.

Installing these long and heavy objects safely in deep waters, is not a job for the faint-hearted.

The article describes a new method of installation, which I feel is very elegant.

  • The XXXL monopiles are built horizontally.
  • They are moved on to the jack-up ship by self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT).
  • It appears at least two or possibly up to four monopiles can be carried on the ship.
  • They are lifted into the vertical position by a lifting beam.

Note.

  1. No cranes are involved in the process.
  2. The lifting beam method of erecting the 5,000 tonne XXXL monopile is simple and very efficient.
  3. Self-propelled modular transporters were used to install the 2000 tonne subway at Hackney Wick station.
  4. Rollers are fitted on the ship to ease handling of the monopiles.

I can certainly see this specialised jack-up ship speeding up the installation of these giant monopiles.

Consequences For Floating Wind

I do wonder, if this method of installing fixed foundation wind farms, will allow larger foundations and these may mean that there is less need for the more complex floating wind farms.

January 5, 2023 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vattenfall Boosts Capacity For Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone

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

This is the sub-heading.

Vattenfall is increasing the capacity for the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone off the UK from 3.6 GW to over 4.2 GW, meaning that an additional 700,000 homes will be powered by the zone, the energy company said.

This is a sixteen percent increase in capacity.

In this article in the Eastern Daily Press, this is said.

Rob Anderson, project director of Vattenfall’s Norfolk Zones, said that the increase is due to the project using “innovative” technology and being “able to maximise its design”.

Moving from 12 MW to 14 MW turbines would give the planned increase.

This article on offshoreWIND.biz, is entitled Siemens Gamesa Ships Out First Set Of 115-Metre Wind Turbine Blades.

This is said about the two Norfolk Zone wind farms.

The SG 14-236 DD model will be commercially available in 2024 and has so far been selected as a preferred option for the Norfolk Vanguard and Boreas wind farms offshore the UK, as well as for the MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III wind farms in the Polish Baltic Sea.

It looks to me that Siemens Gamesa have got a success in the making.

It should be noted that the offshore floating wind farm named Ossian could increase from 2.6 GW to 3.6 GW, which I wrote about in Ossian Floating Wind Farm Could Have Capacity Of 3.6 GW.

A similar effect of size increases happened in North Sea Oil and Gas in the 1970s, as the cranes got larger and the techniques got better.

Is history repeating itself?

 

 

December 21, 2022 Posted by | Design, Energy | , , , | 2 Comments

Norfolk Boreas Offshore Windfarm Contract Awarded

The title of this post, is he same as that of this article on the BBC.

These are the introductory paragraphs.

A government contract has been awarded for the first phase one of the biggest offshore wind zones in the world.

The Norfolk Boreas is expected to secure renewable electricity to meet the needs of around 1.5 million homes, Swedish firm Vattenfall said.

Alongside the Norfolk Vanguard project, it is part of the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, which was approved in February.

Together, Norfolk Boreas and Norfolk Vanguard will probably produce over 3 GW of electricity.

July 8, 2022 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shell And ScottishPower Win Bids To Develop 5 GW Of Floating Wind Power In The UK

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Shell.

This is three paragraphs from the press release.

Shell and ScottishPower have secured joint offers for seabed rights to develop large-scale floating wind farms as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind leasing. The partners have won two sites representing a total of 5 gigawatts (GW) off the east and north-east coast of Scotland.

The new wind farms will be delivered through two joint ventures called MarramWind and CampionWind. They bring together ScottishPower’s and Shell’s decades of experience working offshore and significant presence in Scotland, as well as their strong innovation capabilities for delivering world-class offshore energy projects.

The development, construction and operation of ScotWind projects is set to bring new skilled jobs and manufacturing opportunities and boost local supply chains.

ScottishPower are actually involved in three large ScotWind projects; one by themselves and two in partnership with Shell.

MacHairWind

MachairWind is a project that Scottish Power is developing alone.

I wrote about this project in MacHairWind Wind Farm.

MarramWind And CampionWind

These two wind farms are being developed in partnership with Shell.

They both have their own web sites.

MarramWind’s web site has this introduction.

ScottishPower and Shell have joined forces to develop the MarramWind offshore windfarm following success in the recent ScotWind auction process by Crown Estate Scotland.

Located 75 kilometres off the North East coast of Scotland in water depths averaging 100 metres, the proposed MarramWind floating offshore windfarm could deliver up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of cleaner renewable energy.

This map clipped from the MarramWind web site, shows the location of the wind farm.

CampionWind’s web site has this introduction.

ScottishPower and Shell have joined forces to develop the CampionWind offshore windfarm following success in the recent ScotWind auction process by Crown Estate Scotland.

Located 100 kilometres from the east coast of Scotland, in water depths averaging 77 metres, the proposed CampionWind floating offshore windfarm could deliver up to 2 gigawatts (GW) of cleaner renewable energy.

This map clipped from the CampionWind web site, shows the location of the wind farm.

Note.

  1. The two wind farms will be within a few miles of each other.
  2. Both wind farms will use floating wind turbines.
  3. The water is a bit deeper at MarramWind, but this surely doesn’t bother a floating turbine.
  4. MarramWind and CampionWind will have a total capacity of 5 GW.
  5. Hywind Scotland is the world’s first commercial wind farm using floating wind turbines, situated 29 kilometres off Peterhead. This wind farm is only 30 MW, but in its first years of operation has achieved a capacity factor of over 50 %.
  6. The proposed turbines at Northern Horizons‘ 10 GW wind farm, which is 130 kilometres to the North-East of Shetland will be 20 MW giants and nearly as tall as The Shard in London.

So will Scottish Power and Shell design and build a combined field, similar in concept to Northern Horizons’ wind farm, using an armada of 250 floating wind turbines?

  • The wind turbines might be moored around a fixed or floating mother platform or structure, that will collect the electricity and deliver it to the shore.
  • Turbines could be serviced in situ or moved into port, as needed.
  • Extending the wind farm could just be a matter of mooring the extra turbines in position and then connecting them to the mother platform.
  • Is there a convenient disused oil or gas platform, that could be repurposed as the mother platform?

It certainly would appear to be a way of building large offshore fields in deep waters.

Where Would The Combined MarramWind And CampionWind Rank In Terms of UK Wind Farms?

Consider.

  • MarramWind and CampionWind will have a total capacity of 5 GW.
  • Phase one of the Hornsea Wind Farm is the largest offshore wind farm in the world, with a capacity of just over 1.2 GW and when complete it will have a capacity of 6 GW.
  • Northern Horizons is planned to be 10 GW.
  • The East Anglian Array could be as large as 7.2 GW.
  • The Dogger Bank Wind Farm is planned to be as large as 4.8 MW.
  • Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas are a pair of 1.8 GW wind farms.
  • MacHairWind will be a 2 GW wind farm.

Note.

  1. This is not a complete list of large wind farms in the development pipeline.
  2. BP have obtained leases, but have not published their plans.
  3. Most farms under development are at least one GW.
  4. These farms are a total of 38.6 GW.

The Combined MarramWind and CampionWind would be one of several large wind farms around 5 GW.

There Is A Desperate Need For Energy Storage

If we are generating upwards of 40 GW of wind and solar energy in the UK, there will be a desperate need for energy storage to cover for the times, when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.

Scotland should be OK, as there are various energy storage projects in development.

  • The 1.5 GW/ 30 GWh Coire Glas project is according to SSE shovel-ready and has planning permission.
  • The 450 MW/2.8 GWh Red John project is being constructed.
  • Drax, ILI Group and SSE have several other projects under development.

So what would happen in the South?

The government appears to be on the case as I wrote in Ministerial Roundtable Seeks To Unlock Investment In UK Energy Storage.

But there is also the possibility of using hydrogen.

  • Hydrogen could be created by a series of giant electrolysers.
  • It could be blended with natural gas to eke out our natural gas and save carbon. According to HyDeploy, it appears that up to 20 % can be added, without needing to change boilers and appliances.
  • It can be stored in depleted offshore gas fields.
  • It can be used to power heavy transport like buses, trucks, trains and ships.
  • It can be burned in gas-fired power stations to generate electricity.

Hydrogen can also be used as a feedstock or green energy source for the making of chemicals, concrete and steel.

Conclusion

We are approaching the end of the first phase of the development of renewable energy in the UK.

Massive floating wind farms using armadas of floating wind farms, a large expansion of pumped storage hydro and a huge expansion of the use of hydrogen will see us through to a carbon-free future.

 

 

 

 

March 23, 2022 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Norfolk Wind Farms Offer ‘Significant Benefit’ For Local Economy

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

This is a comprehensive article, which looks at the benefits of the huge Norfolk Boreas and Norfolk Vanguard wind farms will have to the economy of Norfolk.

The last section is devoted to Norfolk Nimby; Raymond Pearce.

This is the section.

Following the re-approval of the decision by the government, Mr Pearce says he is considering a new appeal over what he calls “a very poor decision”.

He is also sceptical of claims the two new wind farms will bring the economic gains promised by Vattenfall.

“It’s renewable energy at any cost and the cost here is to the environment in Norfolk,” he says.

“I don’t blame them for being positive about it, it’s their industry but they’re not looking at it holistically.”

He says he is not against renewable energy but thinks a better plan is needed to connect the offshore windfarms and minimise the number of cables and substations onshore.

It’s his money if he appeals, but we do need more wind, solar and other zero-carbon energy to combat global warming and its effects like the encroachment of the sea around Norfolk.

I believe, that building wind farms off the coast of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk is a good move, as in the future, if we have spare electricity, it will be easy to export energy to Europe, through existing interconnectors.

But I do agree with him, that a better plan is needed to connect the offshore windfarms and minimise the number of cables and substations onshore.

A Norfolk Powerhouse

This map from Vattenfall, the developer of the two wind farms, shows the position of the farms and the route of the cable to the shore.

Note.

  1. The purple line appears to be the UK’s ten mile limit.
  2. Norfolk Boreas is outlined in blue.
  3. Norfolk Vanguard is outlined in orange.
  4. Cables will be run in the grey areas.
  5. Both wind farms are planned to have a capacity of 1.8 GW

Landfall will be just a few miles to the South of the Bacton gas terminal.

Bacton Gas Terminal

Bacton gas terminal is much more than a simple gas terminal.

With the need to decarbonise, I can’t help feeling that the Bacton gas terminal is very much on the decline and the site will need to be repurposed in the next few years.

Blending Hydrogen With Natural Gas

If you blend a proportion of hydrogen into natural gas, this has two beneficial effects.

  • Gas used in domestic and industrial situations will emit less carbon dioxide.
  • In the near future we will be replacing imported natural gas with hydrogen.

The hydrogen could be produced by a giant electrolyser at Bacton powered by the electricity from the two Norfolk wind farms.

At the present time, a research project call HyDeploy is underway, which is investigating the blending of hydrogen into the natural gas supply.

  • Partners include Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, the Health and Safety Executive, Keele University and ITM Power and Progessive Energy.
  • A first trial at Keele University has been hailed as a success.
  • It showed up to twenty percent of hydrogen by volume can be added to the gas network without the need to change any appliances or boilers.

Larger trials are now underway.

A Giant Electrolyser At Bacton

If hydrogen were to be produced at Bacton by a giant electrolyser, it could be used or distributed in one of the following ways.

  • Blended with natural gas for gas customers in Southern England.
  • Stored in a depleted gas field off the coast at Bacton. Both Baird and Deborah gas fields have been or are being converted to gas storage facilities, connected to Bacton.
  • Distributed by truck to hydrogen filling stations and bus and truck garages.
  • Greater Anglia might like a hydrogen feed to convert their Class 755 trains to hydrogen power.
  • Sent by a short pipeline to the Port of Great Yarmouth and possibly the Port of Lowestoft.
  • Exported to Europe, through one of the interconnectors.

Note.

  1. If the electrolyser were to be able to handle the 3.6 GW of the two wind farms, it would be the largest in the world.
  2. The size of the electrolyser could be increased over a few years to match the output of the wind farms as more turbines are installed offshore.
  3. There is no reason, why the electrical connection between Bacton and the landfall of the wind farm cable couldn’t be offshore.

If ITM Power were to supply the electrolyser, it would be built in the largest electrolyser factory in the World, which is in Sheffield in Yorkshire.

A Rail Connection To The Bacton Gas Terminal

This Google Map shows the area between North Walsham and the coast.

Note.

  1. North Walsham is in the South-Western corner of the map.
  2. North Walsham station on the Bittern Line is indicated by the red icon.
  3. The Bacton gas terminal is the trapezoidal-shaped area on the coast, at the top of the map.

I believe it would be possible to build a small rail terminal in the area with a short pipeline connection to Bacton, so that hydrogen could be distributed by train.

How Much Hydrogen Could Be Created By The Norfolk Wind Farms?

In The Mathematics Of Blending Twenty Percent Of Hydrogen Into The UK Gas Grid, I said the following.

Ryze Hydrogen are building the Herne Bay electrolyser.

  • It will consume 23 MW of solar and wind power.
  • It will produce ten tonnes of hydrogen per day.

The electrolyser will consume 552 MWh to produce ten tonnes of hydrogen, so creating one tonne of hydrogen needs 55.2 MWh of electricity.

Each of the Norfolk wind farms, if they were working flat out would produce 43.2 GWh  of electricity in a day.

Dividing the two figures gives a daily production rate of 782.6 tonnes of hydrogen per day.

But what happens if the wind doesn’t blow?

This is where the gas storage in the Baird, Deborah and other depleted gas fields comes in.In times of maximum wind, hydrogen is stored for use when the wind doesn’t blow.

Conclusion

I believe a plan like this, would be much better for Norfolk, the UK and the whole planet.

Using the existing gas network to carry the energy away from Norfolk, could mean that the electricity connection across Norfolk could be scaled back.

 

 

February 17, 2022 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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