Wind turbine installation at the Beacon offshore wind farm in the United States is set to begin. This is after Maersk Supply Service and the joint venture of Equinor and BP signed a Preferred Supplier Agreement (PSA) to carry out the works.
The State of New York chose the Beacon offshore wind farm as the winner of the state’s second offshore wind solicitation at the beginning of last year. It is situated 60 miles east of Montauk Point and 20 miles south of Nantucket.
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On the east coast of the US, the installation of the 1.2 GW project is anticipated to begin in 2028. According to the company, this is a direct continuation of the previously announced contract for Empire Wind. Furthermore, it is Maersk’s second offshore wind installation contract in the US.
“With this new agreement, we have ensured that our new Wind Installation Vessel will get off to a stable start. We appreciate Equinor and bp’s confidence in us by extending the award. We look forward to working with them in the future, said Jonas Munch Agerskov, Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Supply Service.
More on the wind turbines installation at Beacon offshore wind farm
The business won its first contract with Equinor and BP to install wind turbines at the Empire Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind farms in March. That is when it placed an order for a wind turbine installation vessel.
The wind turbine installation solution was created in-house. It is further claimed to work in tandem with a new feeder technology. Thus, it is anticipated to be over 30% more efficient than traditional jack-up vessels.
This, according to Maersk, is caused by the WIV’s special feeder capabilities. Furthermore, it is by the fact that it stays put for the duration of the installation. This is opposed to only using tugs and barges to transport people to and from the coast. According to Maersk, this makes it possible to deploy the WIV solely for the installation of the turbine.
The company also mentioned how the solution is less weather-dependent, allowing for year-round installation. Sembcorp Marine will construct Maersk’s WIV in Singapore, and the steel-cutting ceremony is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022.
