EnBW calls for helicopter transport to wind farms
Energy firm Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW) has announced a tender for helicopter transport to deliver crew and equipment during the operational phase of its offshore wind farms in the German North Sea.
The contract will run from April 1, 2025 until the end of March, 2032.
Helicopters are fairly common in servicing offshore wind farms, providing a quick and reliable alternative to sea-going vessels in transporting crew and equipment, however they are expensive and as in the CTV industry, the search for greener fuels is on.
According to the news outlet ‘Helicopter Express’, they will become increasingly vital as wind farm sites are developed further and further away from land.
“They will also use an SOV or CTVs for the site,” said Leo Hambro, director of CTV provider Tidal Transit. “There is no way they could take all the parts and tool bags out to each turbine by helicopter.”
One of the wind farms to be serviced by the winning helicopter firm is He Dreiht, Germany’s largest offshore wind farm, with 64 foundations already installed.
One of the world’s largest floating cranes, Heerema’s Thialf, drove the 70m long, 9.2m diameter, 1,350t steel foundations into the seabed.
EnBW says Vestas wind turbines are scheduled to be installed next spring and will have a generation capacity of 15MW each.
As well as He Dreiht, the German energy firm has two sites in the Baltic Sea – 1 and 2 – as well as Hohe See and Albatros.
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