World’s First Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Component Exchange Completed At Kincardine Wind Farm

A group of specialized companies successfully completed a major component exchange (MCE) of an offshore floating wind turbine at the Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm, southeast of Aberdeen, Scotland. The operation is a world first in the wind sector.

LiftOff, Vestas, Dragados, Kincardine Offshore Windfarm Limited (KOWL), and Cobra Wind International (CWIL) collaborated to complete the process. The wind energy sector has sought innovative technical solutions to simplify generator maintenance and replacements.

The MCE was carried out on a Vestas V164-9.5MW turbine, using LiftOff’s up-tower crane technology. The procedure eliminated the need for large offshore cranes or towing the turbine to port, which had previously been the only way to conduct such exchanges. Instead, the project was carried out fully from an offshore support vessel (OSV), supplemented by crew transfer vessels (CTVs).

This unique technology reduces the environmental impact of tow-to-port operations, saves money, and reduces turbine downtime. The Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm, which went fully operational in 2021, has a capacity of 50 MW and supplies green electricity to Scotland’s energy grid.

LiftOff’s GenHook up-tower crane was temporarily installed on top of the Vestas turbine for the exchange. After Vestas prepared the turbine and decommissioned the previous generator, LiftOff successfully removed the generator from the nacelle and relocated it to the OSV.

The new generator was then brought into place using the same crane technology.

Load-control mechanisms were installed to handle the floating turbine’s continuous movement caused by wind, waves, and currents, ensuring safety during operation.

The crew carefully planned the operation, depending on multiple weather forecasts and real-time motion monitoring to ensure a safe execution. The entire process, from mobilization to demobilization of equipment, took less than a month.

Dragados Project Manager José Polimón Olabarrieta talked about the importance of this achievement, stating that it sets a new standard for the renewable energy market.

He stated that this on-site solution not only avoids the need to disconnect and tow turbines ashore for maintenance but also has the potential to benefit the industry as a whole.

Reference: Riviera

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