READY FOR THE CHALLENGE: HOW BV SOLUTIONS M&O IS SUPPORTING THE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT

 

The UK Government has set ambitious targets to deploy up to 50GW of offshore wind energy by 2030; enough to power every home in the UK. As part of the British Energy Security Strategy (BESS), which was launched in March last year, the Government has stipulated that it would like to see 5GW of this target generated from floating offshore wind projects in deeper seas.

In the UK, the development of offshore wind is crucial in driving an energy transition. The reliance on imported fossil fuels have increased energy prices to unprecedented levels in the last 12 months and whilst the government has supported households in meeting payments, a long-term approach is required to diversify and decarbonise energy production.

According to the Global Offshore Wind Report 2022, offshore wind is  on track to grow 10-fold by 2035, reaching a total installed power of 519GW within the next 12 years. 2023 is set to be a record year with 18.4GW on track to be installed.

Whilst positive headway is being made, there is a long way to go in reaching ambitious UK and global targets and, according to offshore wind experts BV Solutions M&O, the challenge is to ensure that the supply chain is well-prepared for the escalation that is required, and energy and investment is focused in the right places.

Rob Clark, Global Engineering Lead at Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore, said: “It’s estimated that there is around 78GW of offshore wind capacity in the UK pipeline; 60% of which are ‘fixed bottom’ projects, and 40% of which are floating, putting the UK at the forefront of floating offshore wind deployment. Typically, projects take over a decade to move from concept to operation – and with approximately 3,200 new turbines needed to meet the government’s ambition of 50GW by 2030, there is a need to ensure that every element of the supply chain is prepared to meet this demand from steel fabrication, to port infrastructure, vessels and – of course – the grid.

Whilst the UK has an established and experienced regulatory regime to support in accelerating the pipeline to meet the required targets, the challenges associated with this are well known and documented. What is often overlooked are variable factors – such as weather and vessel availability, both of which will have significant implications on future delivery at the scale required.

“We build Windfarms to harness the power of the natural environment. As these offshore installations move ever further from the shore, the impact of this same environment on our ability to install and operate increases. This in turn has the potential to impact project schedules, CAPEX and even OPEX further down the line. A thorough understanding of the weather limitations and operability limits associated with the full project lifecycle is fundamental to successful project delivery. Pushing the boundaries of delivery of offshore wind at scale required.  

Rob continued: “Large-scale projects of any nature require meticulous planning and robust engineering, offshore wind is no different. We at BV Solutions M&O are supporting the energy transition by ensuring the comprehensive management of technical risks enabling successful project delivery. Safety, quality and performance are paramount when developing and operating offshore wind power installations. BV Solutions M&O supports its clients every step of the way.”

BV Solutions M&O will be at Global Offshore Wind 2023 at ExCel London and is inviting industry representatives to visit its team of experts on stand E2. The team will also be presenting ‘Global supply chain challenges to meet Terawatt Scale Offshore Wind by 2050’ on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 10:45am.

For more information on how BV Solutions M&O can support in Offshore wind projects, contact Rob Clark on Robert.Clark@bvsolutions-mo-o.com.