Talisman Energy (UK) Limited (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Talisman Energy Inc.) and its co-venturer Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), have awarded the contract to fabricate two substructure jackets and their associated foundation piles for the Beatrice Wind Farm Demonstrator Project to Burntisland Fabrications Limited (BiFab). The contract will create around 60 jobs during this fabrication phase.
The project, which is still subject to further DTI oil and gas consent, would pioneer deepwater wind farm development distant from shore with the planned installation of two 5MW wind turbine generators on the UK Continental Shelf adjacent to the Beatrice Alpha platform.
The structures, which would be approximately 85 metres high, would be sited in the Moray Firth more than 23 kilometres from shore in water depths of around 45 metres. This is a step change from existing offshore developments, which are located in territorial waters close to shore in water depths of less than 10 metres.
Talisman and SSE are the principal funders of the project, which is aimed at proving the technical and commercial viability of deepwater offshore wind. Additional backing is being provided by the Scottish Executive, the DTI and the European Commission.
“We have been making encouraging progress in the awarding of contracts for this exciting project and are pleased that we have been able to select a UK bidder for this critical component,” commented Nick Walker, Talisman’s UK Vice President.
“We have now appointed the wind turbine generator supplier and the design and project management contractor. In addition to UK involvement we also have significant input from Germany, Sweden and Norway which means that Europe is well positioned to take a global lead in developing deepwater offshore wind farms.”
The turbines would be located adjacent to Talisman’s Beatrice oilfield where existing infrastructure and connections will be modified to enable the electricity generated to be used at Beatrice. The field’s production platforms will also provide a base from which to carry out wind turbine generator monitoring and maintenance.
Subject to receipt of the necessary approvals, offshore installation will be carried out during summer 2006 with commissioning complete and first power available in Q4 2006.
During the five-year period of the demonstrator project, Talisman and SSE will collect performance data, look for ways to reduce costs and develop operating procedures. If the project is successful, Talisman and SSE will consider the construction of a full-scale offshore windfarm. A commercial venture could generate upwards of one gigawatt of electricity, more than enough to power the city of Aberdeen.
John Robertson, Managing Director of BiFab, stated: “We are very pleased to have won this contract against stiff international competition. Not only does it show that Scotland can remain competitive in the global market-place for heavy fabrication work; it also gives us the opportunity to put ourselves at the cutting edge in a new technology which could eventually present a large number of longer term employment opportunities for our workforce”.
The demonstrator project has been incorporated into the pan-European initiative, DOWNVInD (Distant Offshore Wind Farms With No Visual Impact In Deepwater). DOWNVInD has been established as a catalyst for commercializing deepwater wind farm technology and includes 18 different organizations from six European countries. DOWNVInD is Europe’s largest renewable energy research and development programme.
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