Wind industry needs standardisation

The wind industry has changed over the years, onshore and offshore, with growth in size and weight being the biggest challenges supply chains have to face. On top of the ambitious targets set by the EU policymakers, the supply chain will struggle, and the EU is set to fall short of its goals. 

But is it the fault of the supply chain not being ready, the overambitious targets set by the policymakers, or a combination of both? Could this ‘rat race’ of chasing unattainable targets by increasing the components in size in search of more production capacity be stopped by standardization measures, be it temporary ones?

During the Project Cargo Summit held in Bilbao, industry experts agreed on three points, the need for clear realistic plans by policymakers, the need for cooperation and its benefits and the need for standardisation.

The plan

According to the non-profit organisation, WindEnergy, Europe installed 18.3 GW of new wind power capacity in 2023. Out of this figure, 16.2 GW have been installed in the European Union. Even though this was a record amount of installed capacity, it is still only half of the required volume needed to meet EU’s climate and energy targets for 2030.

The EU targets for renewable energy to have a minimum of 42.5 per cent share in its energy mix in 2030, aiming to hit even 45 per cent.

WindEnergy expects Europe to install 260 GW of new wind power capacity over 2024-2030. To meet its 2030 climate and energy targets the EU needs to build 33 GW a year on average.

Speaking during the Project Cargo Summit, Erhardt Projects CEO, Igor Muñiz Tinoco said, ” We need realistic targets. We need a realistic plan everyone can believe in, where all stakeholders can come together and work towards the common goal.”

He noted that rules, policies and targets are good and that the EU is on the right track, however, policymakers need to work faster to expedite the construction of the planned projects in the sector. The plans also need to be clear for all the links in the chain to be able to make investments accordingly, to be ready for the upcoming project volumes.

The cooperation

During the panel discussion called “Forging Ties at Seas” Didier Domens, Head of Development, Logistics and Industry at the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux said that cooperation among ports, which are naturally competitors, could create more benefits.

As part of the Aquitania Ports Link, ports La Rochelle, Charente Atlantique, Bordeaux and the Port de Bayonne, are better placed to service the wind industry, either onshore or offshore. “The cooperation brings added value to the region by enlarging the service offering to clients through the cooperation between ports in the region. We can utilise the infrastructure already existing at each port, reducing the level of investment, and subsequently saving funds,” Domens said.

Additionally, if there are investments to be made, it is easier to procure co-funding as a group, making a more compelling business case with the existing infrastructure.

This is replicable in the entire supply chain with all stakeholders pulling together to bring the proposed projects over the line. However, the supply chain has been playing catch-up for a while now as the need for more production capacity has led to a race in the growth of all the components making up the wind turbine.

Standardization

“If you take a look at the current projects being developed, everything is getting bigger. This means you need bigger equipment, bigger cranes,” Olivier Dirkzwager, Segment Lead – Power and Forwarding Europe at Mammoet said.

The company has only recently unveiled its new addition, the world’s largest land-based crane, the SK6000. The unit can run fully on electric power and has the capacity to lift 6000 tons. It is expected to play a major role in offshore wind.

However, Dirkzwager expects the development race to continue, with Mammoet’s engineers already drawing up a new unit capable of handling loads of up to 10,000 tons. There is, however, a major constraint. The SK6000 can be shipped and assembled anywhere in the world, or to any port which has the space and infrastructure to house this heavy-lifting giant. But it is currently fully booked for a longer period which means that availability remains a major issue.

Furthermore, Dirkzwager said that components are not only growing in weight but in size as well. “Monopiles have gone from 8 metres in diameter to 10 metres in diameter and now even 12 metres in diameter. To keep their weight down they are being built thinner which causes a major issue, bending,” he said.

At one of its recent projects, Mammoet witnessed monopile bending of up to 90 centimetres in the middle which required a completely different approach to transporting these giants.

Responding to the question of whether a certain level of standardisation could help the supply chain catch up with the targets, Dirkzwager said, “If we want to make it work, standardization is necessary.”