Ørsted secures new Cadeler vessel for offshore wind buildout
Ørsted secures new Cadeler vessel for offshore wind buildout | Windpower Monthly
Ørsted has secured a newly built wind farm installation vessel from Cadeler to help it install offshore wind farms towards the end of this decade.
Cadeler will supply the Danish renewable major with a new vessel from the first quarter of 2027 to the end of 2030.
The vessel will be built in China.
It will enable Ørsted to transport and install both XXL monopile foundations – weighing 2,000-2,999 tonnes – and 20MW-plus turbines. It will be capable of transporting and installing up to six XXL foundations or five 20MW turbines per load, Cadeler claimed.
Patrick Harnett, chief operating officer at Ørsted, said: "Securing long-term capacity with strategic suppliers is key for Ørsted to build collaboration and together manage risks and execution of our offshore wind construction program towards 2030 and beyond.”
Turbine maker Siemens Gamesa signed a similar three-year deal to secure vessels from Integrated Wind Solutions earlier this year.
Analysts have flagged a shortage of vessels needed to install and maintain the offshore wind capacity needed to be built to meet countries’ installation targets, with Wood Mackenzie and WindEurope among those raising the alarm in recent years.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: wind
Decades of government support for the development of wind energy has resulted in lower costs and a rapidly growing share of electricity generated by wind turbines. Wind in 2019 accounted for 7.3 percent of electrical generation, surpassing for the first time hydropower at 7.0 percent.