Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain – future outlook for technologies and cooperation

Smart Blue Regions project Workshop, 26th April 2018, Gdańsk

The workshop was organized by GSG Towers Ltd., Pomorskie Association in EU and Maritime Institute in Gdańsk.

The objective of the workshop was to explore and define possibilities of transnational cooperation among entrepreneurs representing offshore industry in the Baltic Sea Region making use of RIS3 processes and EU funding.
Nearly 90 participants attended the workshop representing all target groups: offshore industry entrepreneurs from shipyards, ship design offices, steel and engine producers etc. as well as regional administration of Smart Blue Regions.
The workshop explored possible future cooperation ideas in four topics along the offshore wind energy value chain in four parallel interactive sessions:

• Constructions: Wind Towers (design, optimization), Substation (concept design, design optimization, modular design), Foundation (new designs, new functionalities) Moderator: Łukasz Piotrowicz, Foundation for Sustainable Energy, SMDI; Assistant: Magda Leszczyna-Rzucidło (APEU)

• Vessels: Seabed Preparation (offshore cabling / foundations, port / inland waterways dredging, deep sea mining), Installation Vessels (land-based vs. offshore assembly, direct delivery of components, purpose-built installation vessel – jack-up’s), Service Vessels (mother vessel accommodations, transfer vessels, service parts transport) Moderator: Mariusz Witoński - Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society Assistant: Barbara Weig (MWVATT Schleswig-Holstein)

• Wind Farm Efficiency: Concept Design (turbines / substations / grid layout), Decommissioning of Constructions (modularity, recycling, new use), Multi-use of Constructions (aquaculture, biomass, energy storage, marine hydro kinetics, wave) Moderator: Paweł Przybylski, Siemens Gamesa Polska, Polish Wind Energy Association; Assistant: Joanna Przedrzymirska (MIG)

• Autonomous Operations (surveying, Operation & Maintenance) Moderators: Paweł Mawduk - GSG Towers Ltd. ; Assistant: Carsten Bayer (s.Pro)

The event was extremely highly rated by the participants due to the opportunity to establish new contacts and a wide range of proposed topics for discussion. Many important aspects related to the OWE development were discussed: OWE oriented development of ports and logistic areas, energy storage, erosion protection, multi-uses, reliability and costs of wind measurements etc. Several innovative ideas for future collaboration have been raised, for instance: multi rotor system in turbines, sharing resources at the maintenance stage, charging surveys vessels directly from the offshore power plant’s trahostations, using aluminium inside and outside wind tower construction etc.

The next step is to identify international partnerships for innovative cooperation topics. Entrepreneurs will be actively supported in this process by the Smart Blue Regions project partners: the Maritime Institute in Gdańsk and the Pomerskie Association in the EU. The culmination of this work will be the organization of a workshop/workshops dedicated to elaborating the details of the future project / projects.