VIDEO: Offshore charging for two new Irish Sea wind farms?

Image: Stillstrom

As offshore wind developments are seen as an ever more important supplier of green power, increasing attention is being paid to making the wind farms themselves greener. As part of that quest, two Irish Sea offshore wind projects could integrate an offshore charging solution for Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) that has been developed by Maersk subsidiary Stillstrom A/S.

EnBW and BP, who are developing the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farm projects in a joint venture, and Stillstrom have announced the initiation of a comprehensive feasibility study that will assess the operational, technical, and economic viability of integrating offshore charging solutions into the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farms for the future enablement of all-electric vessel operations.

The Morgan and Mona offshore wind farm projects could have a combined potential generating capacity of 3GW, which is estimated to provide enough electricity for around 3 million UK homes each year.

The study specifically focuses on offshore charging solutions connecting and integrating to the wind farms’ offshore substations. Encompassing a review of Stillstrom offshore charging solutions, it will consider two scenarios: directly from the offshore substation via hang-off solutions and from offshore charging buoys.

The feasibility study, which commenced at the end of November 2023, is set to be completed by the end of January 2024. The findings of this feasibility study are anticipated to play a crucial role in the further decisions to integrate offshore charging into the Morgan and Mona wind farms and align with wind farm installation campaigns.

Richard Haydock, programme director, U.K. offshore wind,BP, said: “We are excited to be collaborating with Stillstrom to assess the feasibility of integrated offshore charging solutions for our Morgan and Mona wind farms. Innovative charging solutions can play an important role in both the electrification and decarbonization of offshore wind farm vessel operation. We look forward to seeing how these innovative solutions could help our projects deliver secure, low carbon energy to the U.K. and support the U.K.’s ambition to be net zero by 2050.”

Burkhard Römhild, Project Director at EnBW, added: “This feasibility study marks a significant milestone in our commitment to innovation within the renewable energy sector. We believe that integrating offshore charging solutions into wind farms is a progressive step towards driving the energy transition and could help support the project’s aims for net zero O&M activities.”

Kristian Borum Jorgensen, CEO of Stillstrom, said: “We are thrilled to be a part of this ground-breaking initiative with EnBW and BP. This partnership signifies a major leap forward for offshore charging and electrification in the maritime industry, showcasing the transformative potential of sustainable energy solutions. We believe that our collaboration will set new standards for environmentally conscious practices in offshore wind operations, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future.”

The next steps following this study would involve initiating a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study prior to FID and installation of offshore charging solutions in the Morgan and Mona wind farms.