UK Offshore Wind 2002

17th April 2002

Gunfleet Sands- A Progress Report

Presented byNigel Crowe

Enron Wind

Where are we today ?Where are we today ?

•Planning •Financing•Construction•Operation

PlanningPlanning

•Hydrosearch Associates Ltd. have been engaged to project manage the Environmental Impact Assessment process

•Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be circulated to all consultees for comments around May/June 2002

Environmental Impact Environmental Impact AssessmentAssessment

•Geophysical Survey

•Environmental Survey

•Bird & Marine Mammal Survey

•MetOcean Data Acquisition

•Coastal Processes Model

•Collision Risk Assessment Study

•Commercial Fisheries Study

•Other Studies in progress

GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY•Completed October 2001 by Titan Environmental Surveys Ltd.

•Equipment utilised included Echosounder, Side Scan Sonar, Tow Boomer, Magnetometer

•Parameters measured for licence area and cable route:- detailed bathymetry- seabed features & magnetometer contacts- shallow geology- shallow gas- sub-bottom geological profiles- isopachyte (seabed to base sands contours)

Environmental Survey

Sea based observations and aerial transects

15 day surveys have been completed to date with monitoring planned after installation of turbines

GPS referenced transects

Bird & Marine Mammal Survey

Metocean Data Acquisition

2 MetOcean Instruments mounted in seabed frames with surface Dan buoys in water depths of approx. 12m

Parameters to be measured include:- Current velocity- Tidal height- Directional wave parameters- Turbidity

Instrumentation has been calibrated with Water Samples

Deployed by Thales Geosolutions on 17 January 2002 for 6 month duration

Service visits every 2 months

Data to feed into Coastal Processes Model, Design Layout & Foundation Design

Coastal Processes Model

ABP Research are assessing the baseline coastal processes

Then potential impacts of the development can be quantified over the life of the development

Model will include tides, waves, currents, sediment mobility beyond 1 tidal excursion of the licence area

Utilisation of Remotely Sensed Imagery

Collision Risk Assessment Study

99% of traffic passes at least 3.7 nm from development area

Collision risk assessed for powered and drifting vessels

Highest risk around NE corner - collision return period of 34,013 years.

Commercial Fisheries Study

In consultation with local fishermen, study has identified:

• Ports, Fishing Associations & Individual Fishermen

• Fish species

• Fishing methods

• Importance of Gunfleet Sands

• Sensitivities through the year

• Spawning grounds

Commercial Fisheries Study

Most important species include:

• Sole (main summer + autumn)

• Bass (important summer +autumn)

• Cod (normally main winter species)

• Thornback (caught all year)

• Grey Mullet (inshore - summer)

• Whiting

Marine Archaeology

Landscape & Seascape Assessment

Radar Interference Assessment

Terrestrial Ecology along the cable route

Socio Economic Study

Noise Study

Comprehensive Consultation Exercise with Open Days in Clacton

Web site

Other Studies In Progress

FinancingPrimary objective at present to ensure bankability of Project• NFFO 4 for 30 MW of total 108MW•Watertight PPA agreement for remainder of off take • Reliable Wind Data –

• Initial data from Gunfleet Lighthouse• Considered onshore data to supplement this but decided on offshore metmast to avoid any uncertainty• 60m lattice mast founded on a 32m monopile with measurements taken at 3 levels with GPS data collection

60m Met Mast

Construction• 30 no. EW 3.6MW Turbines – 100m rotor diameter, 70-90m tower giving 108MW

• Integrated Foundation Solution

•Connection 10Km (7km offshore, 3km Onshore) at 132Kv to Holland–on–Sea

EW 3.x platform = Onshore: EW 3.2s+ Offshore: EW 3.6

EW 3.2s EW 3.6

RotorPowerSite

Ø 104 m3.2 MWonshore

Ø 100 m3.6 MWoffshore

VratedRot. speedHub height

14.3 m/s8.1 – 13.5 rpm100 – 140 m

15 m/s9.2 –15.3 rpmsite specific: > 70 m

Design class

IEC II-ADIBt WZ III / II (HH 100 / 140 m)

IEC I-A

T.top mass 240 t 268 t

Tip speedNoise

73.5 m/s< 106 dB(A), red. 104 dB(A)

80.1 m/s109 dB(A)

EW 3.6 offshore

Proven elements

concept analogous to more than 880 EW 1.5 since 1996

separated drive train variable-speed,

variable-pitch double-fed

asynchronous generator

frequency converter recommended suppliers

New elements

experience EW 1.5 offshore at Utgrunden

annual maintenance over-specified design crane system E-container at nacelle 3.3 kV generator external heat exchanger helicopter hoisting

platform (optional)

Layout EW 3.x: Separated drive train & crane system

14 m

4.5 m

Testing & pre-commissioning at factory

Prototype EW 3.6: 100 m hybrid tower in Spain

Barrax site, close to Madrid Transport restrictions

prototype for inland sites and hub height up to 140 m

70 m pre-stressed concreteplus 26.5 m steel segment

Transport of rotor blades EW 3.6

Transport of rotor blades EW 3.6

Transport of rotor blades EW 3.6

Operation

Efficient Operation is critical to financial viability

Reliability, Availability,Maintainability, Serviceability

• proven technology (see EW 1.5)• next offshore generation:

i.e. new offshore design rather than marinised MW-class• larger & proven turbines

lower O&M costs

40 t slewing crane(activated on-demand)- container- generator- gear box- main shaft- hub- blades

2 t gantry crane (hoisting inside and outside nacelle)

Enron Wind 3.x: Internal crane system capable of all main components

Gunfleet Sands Progress Gunfleet Sands Progress SummarySummary

•Environmental Impact Assessment approaching completion•Comprehensive consultation process underway•Data collection being taken seriously to inhance funding opportunities •Construction programme is underway now with excellent progress being made with the EW3.6•Operation and maintenance strategy being considered upfront and given necessary importance