WORKING AT HEIGHTS - Wind Energy Network

metmasts featureNarecgeared up foroffshoreThe build-out of Narec’s proposed99MW Blyth Offshore WindDemonstration Site is their largestproject to date and requiresinvestment of between £300-£400million.The demonstration project is the finalpiece in the jigsaw providing the UK withworld-leading integrated research, testingand demonstration facilities.Leading the wayLeading the way for the development of what is the largest planneddemonstration site in UK waters, the site will accommodate thedemonstration of up to 15 turbines, foundations and associatedelectrical infrastructure in 3 arrays in water depths between 35m- 55m. The Narec Offshore Anemometry Hub (NOAH) is the firststructure installed offshore to support this project.MPI Adventure and SeaRocNOAH located 3 nautical miles off Blyth, Northumberland wasinstalled in November last year by MPI Adventure, fresh from itsdeployment on the London Array wind farm. The contract for thecomplete installation works was awarded to SeaRoc and includedtransport of the foundation to the quayside, full load-out and offshoreinstallation of the foundation, three pin piles, grouting and full topside.The structure’s 53m-high tripod foundation, weighing 635t, 100tplatform and a 25t meteorological mast were assembled offshoreafter being collected from the manufacturers on the River Tyne.Tallest metmast in UK watersAt a height of 104m above mean sea level, the met mast isamongst the tallest planned for offshore wind in the UK. The fixedstructure’s prime purpose is to collect wind resource data providinga benchmark for tenants to monitor the performance of turbines tobe installed on the demonstration site for next generation turbines upto 8MW.Latest technologyFitted with the latest technologies, the platform will also be used asan open-access facility for research purposes, such as trialling newtechnologies and processes, observing environmental conditionsand collecting wildlife data to reduce the timescales and costs ofconsenting, build-out and operation of offshore renewables.Remote sensing technologies such as fixed and floating LiDAR couldprovide significant cost savings for developers during the consentingstage of offshore wind projects. The facility will allow developers ofthese technologies the opportunity to validate new devices againsttraditional methods, demonstrate the reliability, data availability andperformance of their product offshore in a remote environment whilstallowing Narec to build up vital industry knowledge of the offshoreenvironment.Test facilities updateMeanwhile onshore, Narec has built a new 100m blade test and3MW drive train test facilities for the accelerated life testing anddevelopment of larger offshore wind turbines, wind turbine bladesand tidal energy devices.A 15MW capacity drive train test facility is also under constructionand will be operational by Summer 2013. These facilities are worldleadingin their own right, but the potential to combine offshoredemonstration with accelerated life testing in facilities onshoreprovides a unique proposition to support the growth of the industryin the UK.Narecwww.narec.co.ukClick to view more infowww.windenergynetwork.co.uk101