OMNI Features｜EDF and Fred Olsen Seawind Slash Turbine Numbers for Codling Wind Park．Scotland's £16 Billion Wind Energy Set to Go to Waste．Chinese OEM Mingyang's Scottish Offshore Wind Turbine Factory Plan Named 'Priority'

Codling Wind Park
(Source: Codling Wind Park)

｜EDF and Fred Olsen Seawind Slash Turbine Numbers for Ireland's Codling Wind Park
EDF Renewables and Fred Olsen have decided to reduce the number of turbines at Ireland's largest planned offshore wind farm – their 1.3GW Codling Wind Park – while maintaining its planned capacity. The developers confirmed the latest 25% reduction in the number of turbines – from a maximum of 100 to 60-75.

Codling was one of 4 offshore wind farms to secure a power deal in Ireland's inaugural offshore wind auction last year, which successfully awarded offtake agreements for 3.1GW of offshore wind capacity.

In addition to reducing the planned number of turbines, the developers also proposed the turbines would have a tip height of 288-314 metres. EDF and Fred Olsen explained that since they initially drew up plans for Codling, there had been "huge advances in wind turbine technology and more efficient turbine models", while their own understanding of the project site was now "more detailed".

｜Scotland's Wind Power Unable to Transmit South of Border: £16 Billion Wind Energy Set to Go to Waste
The UK is set to waste more than £16billion this decade after regulatory and planning failures have left Scotland producing more wind power than can be transmitted down South. The average energy bill is £1,928 a year, falling to £1,690 a year from 1 April.

The problem arises because there are not enough cables to take renewable electricity from Scotland, where most of it is produced, to England, where most of it is needed. When bottlenecks arise, wind farms are paid to switch off their turbines, and gas stations in England are paid extra to supply the necessary electricity. The system, known as curtailment, cost more than £700million in 2023, with a further £140million spent in January and February of this year alone. The cost, calculated by think-tank Carbon Tracker, is expected to find its way into higher electricity bills for cash-strapped households and businesses.

Between 1 April to 30 June 2024 the energy price cap is set at £1,690 per year for a typical household who use electricity and gas and pay by Direct Debit. This is £238 lower than the cap set between 1 January to 31 March 2024 (£1,928).

Ofgem said it would fast-track a so-called 'electricity superhighway' between Scotland and England with an additional £2 billion in funds. The proposed subsea cables could transport wind-generated electricity between East Lothian and County Durham.

｜Chinese OEM Mingyang’s Scottish Offshore Wind Turbine Factory Plan Named ‘Priority’
Scotland has identified a turbine factory by Chinese manufacturer MingYang Smart Energy as a priority infrastructure project as it seeks to unlock investment in its offshore wind sector.

The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council has announced 7 new priority offshore wind infrastructure projects for the country, in addition to 3 that were announced in February. It is progressing these projects under its Strategic Investment Model (SIM) regime. One of these is a turbine factory by MingYang, which committed in June 2023 to enter the UK’s offshore wind market.

Two of these 10 priority projects are confidential, but the other 8 are:
Burntisland Deep Water floating offshore wind facility (Forth Ports)
Hunterston HVDC cables factory (XLCC)
MingYang Smart Energy turbine factory
Port of Aberdeen South Harbour upgrade
Port of Cromarty Firth expansion
Port of Nigg (Global Energy Nigg)
Ring Crane Development (Sarens PSG))
Scapa Deep Water Quay (Orkney Islands Council)

Related News:
OMNI Features｜UK Plans to Invest $74 Billion on "Electrical Spine" Project Connecting Scotland to England

Reference: WindpowerMonthly｜dailymail.co.uk｜Tamarindo Global