Highlights of the Month: May 2016

Shell Setting Up ‘New Energies’ Unit. Oil & Gas Companies to Cause Clash of Giants in Offshore Wind?

Shell has created a new division called New Energies, through which the oil and gas giant will invest in wind energy, along with its hydrogen, biofuels and electrical activities, according to The Guardian. Even though Shell has not officially confirmed this, it is expected that the new unit will be unveiled in early June.

Dutch Tender: Vattenfall, RWE-Macquarie Place Bids; Shell Remains the Most Interesting Bidder

Two further bids to construct offshore wind farms at the first sites offered at Dutch Borssele Zone were confirmed today, one submitted jointly by RWE and Macquarie Capital, and the other one by Vattenfall.

Borssele Tender Attracts 38 Bids, Cost Reduction Main Priority

The tender for the 700MW Borssele I&II offshore wind farm zones has attracted 38 bids and the first impression is that the wind developers have put a lot of effort in driving down the costs, the Dutch media cited Henk Kamp, the country’s Minister of Economic Affairs, as saying.

GE Contemplating Adwen Takeover; Aims Top Position in OW Market

GE, which took over Alstom’s power and grid businesses last year, has its eye on another company developing offshore wind technology – Adwen – a joint venture between Gamesa and Areva that arose as a stumbling block during Gamesa’s merger talks with Siemens.

Fukushima Hamakaze Spar Tilts Back Into Position

The advanced spar floating foundation built to support the 5MW Fukushima Hamakaze structure off Japan has recovered stability after it tilted while under tow in Osaka Bay last week.

German Next-Gen Floating Foundation Gets EUR 1 Million

ESG Edelstahl und Umwelttechnik Stralsund GmbH, a member of German GICON Group, and the Endowed Chair of Wind Energy Technology at the University of Rostock have secured EUR 1 million for the development and full-scale testing of a sub-structure for third generation wind turbines with a capacity of 6MW or more.

Subsea 7, Seaway Heavy Lifting Land Ten-Figure Offshore Wind Contract

Subsea 7 has teamed up with Seaway Heavy Lifting on an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for wind farm turbine foundations and array cables to be installed at the 558MW Beatrice offshore wind farm located in the Outer Moray Firth, Scotland.

Interview: Specialized Vessels Give Chevalier Floatels a Competitive Edge in Offshore RE Industry

Oil and gas offshore service vessel operators are becoming increasingly interested in the offshore renewables industry as their main market deteriorates; however, vessel operators that specialize in the renewables sector such as Chevalier Floatels have an edge over the new competitors in that their vessels are finely tuned to serve the renewables market with streamlined execution and cost-efficiency, Marcel Roelofs, the Dutch company’s Chief Executive Officer, told Offshore WIND.

Jan De Nul Reveals New OW Contract in Its Latest Financial Results

In early 2016, Jan De Nul signed a contract for cable installation at a Geman offshore wind farm, the company reported in its financial results.

First Nobelwind Foundations Loaded onto Vole au Vent

First‬ monopiles and transition pieces for the ‪‎Nobelwind (Bligh Bank Phase 2) offshore‬ ‪wind farm‬‪ ‎have been loaded on board the ‪Vole au Vent‬, Jan De Nul reported.

Offshore WIND Staff