Wednesday 3 December 08 - 06:34
 

Marine Renewable Energy

Forward Planning for Wind Farm Installation

Thanet Offshore Wind Limited (TOW) has signed a reservation agreement with Denmark headquartered A2SEA A/S for the long term use of the vessel the 'Sea Jack' for the main construction periods for the Thanet project. Starting in the autumn of next year Sea Jack will be used to install the wind turbine foundations and will then continue with the erection of the turbines in the summer and autumn of 2009. 

A2SEA A/S pioneered the concept of using 'leg supported crane vessels' to install offshore wind farms.
A2SEA A/S pioneered the concept of using 'leg supported crane vessels' to install offshore wind farms.

‘This is another significant milestone for the Thanet project, said TOW project director Mark Petterson. ‘A2SEA comes with a very strong track record in this sector and the Sea Jack is an ideal vessel for the requirements of the project’

Sea Jack, formerly the 'Jumping Jack', was specifically built to service the growing offshore wind market. At over 90m long with a 33m beam and a powerful Manitowoc M1200 Ringer crane, the barge is an ideal platform for large scale offshore wind projects such as Thanet. It is able to install complete projects, including foundations, as well as future wind turbines of the 5MW and above class.

Thanet received all of the consents required to construct and operate the scheme in December 2006, the first UK Round 2 project to achieve this milestone. It is expected to be the first Round 2 offshore wind farm to be built in the UK and is targeted to commence power generation in 2009. TOW will cover some 13.5 square miles of a site seven miles east of Margate in Kent. With a capacity of 300MW, it will generate electricity sufficient to supply 240,000 homes.  

Kaj Lindvig, A2SEA CEO said, ’This type of long term forward commitment from a developer is vital in allowing companies in the supply chain, such as A2SEA, to make strategic decisions about the future expansion of the business.'

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