OTSC Offshore Corporation (“TSC”), a subsidiary of CMIC Ocean En-Tech Holding Co., Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding with Spain-based offshore vessel and equipment design firm Offshoretronic.
The MoU entails bringing together Offshoretronic's technical engineering experience in offshore wind transportation and installation, and TSC offshore equipment design and manufacturing expertise, with the goal of creating a solution that will improve the ways offshore wind farm monopiles are being installed, and making the process cheaper, more efficient, and safer.
"The next generation offshore wind turbine units between 15-20 MW capacities are expected to enter into the market in 2024-2030 and will be installed in water depths of 40-70 m. This will require a new generation of monopiles with 100-130 m in length, 12-15 m in outer diameter and weight up to 5,000 mt," Offshoretronic said.
"Transportation and installation of monopiles typically make up 1 up to 4 days of the installation cycle time and contribute on average 20% of the cost of the WTG installation, mainly due to the necessity to deploy high cost vessels with heavy lift crane to install monopiles safely and effectively. By having to depend on large heavy lift cranes which are limited in supply, high costs and require long lead delivery time, progress in executing large scale wind farm project offshore to meet the accelerating decarbonisation deadlines has been challenged," the company explained.
Offshoretronic has designed what it describes as "the unique tilting and lifting beam + roll-on concept" which the company says is "tailor-made to safely perform transportation and installation of the next generation monopiles on which wind turbines are installed."
"This solution will largely reduce costs and time required, and most importantly will result in significant reduction of operational risks during loading in port, up-ending, lifting and installation offshore," the company said.
This solution is designed to be installed on a mobile elevated platform (Jack-up platform) and has been showcased in a concept vessel, Vitruvian, which is able to transport and install monopiles up to 5,000 mt.
According to Offshoretronic, its solution will largely reduce costs and time required, and most importantly will result in significant reduction of operational risks during loading in port, up-ending, lifting and installation offshore.
The company did not say when the first vessels using its solution could become operational.