Wind Monitoring Platform Sees Oil&Gas Skills Transfer
Tyne based McNulty Offshore Construction Ltd has won a contract valued at 4 million pounds to 6 million pounds from the UK National Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC). This example indicates the increasing involvement of UK companies in the offshore wind industry. McNulty will provide pre-construction services for the proposed offshore monitoring platform at their offshore wind demonstrator site off Blyth on the north east coast of the UK.
McNulty will work with NAREC to confirm the requirements and develop the design of the monitoring platform, which is expected to be constructed and in place by summer 2011. The offshore wind demonstrator facility is aimed at providing the opportunity for global turbine manufacturers to demonstrate their prototypes, including the actual generators and foundations, and will include a 100MW grid connection and capacity for up to 20 large scale prototypes. The monitoring platform is the first phase of the facility and will collect environmental data, including: Wind data from five elevations between 20m and 100m above the platform including the swept area of a 150m diameter turbine rotor. Bird movement monitoring up to a range of 10km including determination of the type of bird.
The company has already participated in work on the Thanet, Lincs, Galloper and Gabbard wind farms. Blyth based NAREC is the UK‘s leading centre for renewable energy development, using technology led innovation. While providing assistance to a broad range of sectors, NAREC primarily operates in the offshore and onshore wind, wave and tidal, distributed energy and electrical network sectors, providing engineering and industry consultancy, testing and development facilities and support services to developers.