European utility probing market for Tier 1 offshore wind contractors

A European electricity company has invited component manufacturers and services providers to engage in a preliminary market consultation to determine the current market capabilities within the offshore wind industry before the start of the potential procurement process.

Launched by the Irish state-owned utility Electricity Supply Board (ESB), the market consultations seek to gauge the market capabilities within areas such as the supply, construction, installation, and servicing of wind turbines; the supply, construction, and installation of wind turbine foundations; the supply, construction, and installation of offshore substations; and the supply, construction, and installation of offshore cables.

ESB is currently involved in the development of seven offshore wind projects in Ireland with a combined capacity of up to 6.1 GW.

ESB has partnered with Belgium’s Parkwind in the development of the 330 MW Oriel and the 500 MW Clogherhead wind farms off the County Louth.

The 1.4 GW Moneypoint is a floating wind project which ESB had been developing jointly with Equinor until the Norwegian energy company pulled out of the offshore wind partnership back in November 2021.

The wind farm is part of ESB’s plan to transform the Moneypoint power station in County Clare into a green energy hub.

Apart from Moneypoint, ESB and Equinor had identified four more offshore wind projects around the east, south, and west coasts of Ireland while the partnership was ongoing.

These include Sea Stacks Offshore Wind, Helvick Offshore Wind, Loch Garman Offshore Wind, and Celtic Offshore Wind.

The Celtic Offshore Wind project is comprised of two phases, Celtic One Offshore Wind, a fixed foundation project, and Celtic Two Offshore Wind, a floating wind project.

The project will have a combined potential output of around 1.5 GW, subject to change following engagement with the Transmission System Operator, ESB said.

The Sea Stacks Offshore Wind Farm is located approximately 12 kilometres off the Dublin & Wicklow coast and is expected to have a capacity of up to 800 MW.

Located to the south of County Waterford and to the southeast of County Cork, the Helvick Offshore Wind Farm will have a capacity of 700 MW to 800 MW.

The seventh project, Loch Garman, is being developed approximately 10 kilometres off the County Wexford coast. This project is also planned to have a capacity of up to 800 MW.

Outside Ireland, ESB holds a 50 per cent stake in the 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe wind farm which is currently under construction offshore Scotland, and a 50 per cent stake in the gigawatt-scale Inch Cape wind farm, also offshore Scotland, which the utility is developing jointly with Red Rock Power Limited.