Yards Moving Forward - GL Group

APPROVAL
Monopiles for Offshore Wind Farm Q7
The first support structures of the planned offshore wind farm
Q7 off the North Sea coast of the Netherlands have been
approved within the scope of project certification by GL Wind.
The construction of the monopiles is subject to stringent
requirements with regard to strength, loads and reliability. For
the dimensioning of this type of foundation, the combined
loads of the wind, waves and water currents play a dominant
role. Furthermore, the ground/monopile interaction exerts a
decisive influence on the design of the entire structure. At the
beginning of next year, the monopiles will be driven into the
sea floor at water depths ranging from 19 to 24 m. The wind
farm, comprising 60 wind turbines and a total output of 120
megawatts, will extend over an area of 14 km 2 . Each tower
OIL AND GAS
Putting on the Pressure!
By just how much can the operating pressure in the pipelines
of offshore installations be increased to achieve the
maximum possible transport capacity? And how can the
technical safety and availability of the plants both be maintained
on a high level? These are the questions currently
being investigated by six experts from the Oil & Gas (GLO)
business unit of Germanischer Lloyd at South Pars, the largest
natural gas field in the world. Situated in the Persian
Gulf, this field stretches over an area of 500 square miles
and lies 3,000 metres under the seabed, at an average water
depth of 65 metres. About 15.8 percent of the world’s gas
reserves may be found within the territory of Iran; of these,
between 8 and 10 percent lie in the South Pars area, which
is to be developed in 30 phases over a period of 25 years.
From 2001 to 2004, GLO had already been entrusted with
the certification of the platforms and pipelines of phases 4
and 5. Now the experts of Germanischer Lloyd are examining
– on behalf of the lead investor for phases 6 to 8, Statoil
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES · NEWS
The construction of the monopiles is subject to stringent requirements
with regard to strength, loads and reliability.
structure will be 59 m high, with a rotor diameter of 80 m.
Project certification by GL Wind is performed according to the
rules and principles set out in the “Guideline for the
Certification of Offshore Wind Turbines”. The independent
fabrication supervision includes detailed examination of not
only the manufacturing procedures but also the transportation
of the components, the installation of the plant, and the
commissioning. The order was placed by Windpark Q7
Holding BV, which is jointly owned by the utility ENECO, the
developer Econcern and the financing company Energy
Investments Holding BV, all from the Netherlands.
For further information: Matthias Laatsch, Civil Engineering, Deputy Head of Department,
Phone: +49 40 36149-7729, matthias.laatsch@gl-group.com
– the technical measures with which the capacities of three
production platforms and three gas transport lines are to be
increased. Here the spotlight will be on ensuring compliance
with international regulations and codes.
Experts estimate that the approx. 3.9 billion cubic feet of
gas will be yielded by development phases 6, 7 and 8. At
present, each phase of the South Pars field can produce 1
billion cubic feet of gas and 40,000 barrels of condensate
per day
For further information: Ulrich Adriany, Deputy Head of Department, Pipelines and
Infrastructure, Phone +49 40 36149-7423, ulrich.adriany@gl-group.com
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