| Work Detail |
Nekkar-led consortium has secured a grant to deliver a solution for main component replacement
A project consortium headed has conditionally been awarded a Norwegian grant to develop a remote-controlled, self-hoisting lifting solution for the offshore wind industry.
The research and innovation grant of Nkr75.2m (€6.5m), through the Norwegian governments Green Platform Initiative, will be used to develop a safe and efficient solution for main component replacement (MCR) on offshore wind turbines to cut time, cost and loss of revenue due to downtime.
Nekker is leading the consortium which includes Kongsberg Maritime, DOF, an undisclosed global wind farm developer, GCE Node, NORCE, Sustainable Energy Catapult Center, Sintef Ocean and University of Agder.
The project will develop a remote-controlled, self-hoisting lifting equipment, based on Nekkars SkyWalker turbine installation tool, that moves up and down the machine tower to replace the main components like gearboxes and blades.
Also, a 3D motion-compensated crane will be developed with the purpose of lifting SkyWalker from a vessel to a floating turbine.
Further, specifications of a multi-purpose vessel integrating the requirements of SkyWalker and 3D crane will be developed.
The project will also evaluate the impact of the solution from a total wind farm perspective using and developing existing tools for offshore logistics, vessel design, and marine operations.
The objective is to develop a main component replacement solution that can be utilised offshore on both floating and fixed-bottom wind turbines, both for newbuilds as well as the installed base.
The project is contingent approval of capital contributions from each project partner to activate the Nkr75.2m.
The partners expect to conclude this process during the first quarter of 2024, at which point further information about the project and funding will be shared. |
