Offshore Wind Study Tour
Siddharth Arora, December 18, 2023
Siddharth Arora, Associate Director, Shakti, recently embarked on an enlightening journey across three nations and six cities for an Offshore Wind Study Tour from October 9 -13, 2023.. His exploration of offshore wind initiatives in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Denmark was an educational expedition that delved deep into the intersection of ocean, climate, and energy infrastructure. Witnessing colossal turbines rising from the sea and understanding their intricate engineering, this tour vividly showcased the cutting-edge technologies and collaborative efforts propelling the offshore wind sector.
Renewable energy is undeniably on the rise, and offshore wind is leading the charge in this global energy transformation. Offshore wind is destined to play a pivotal role in the journey towards a sustainable future. Shakti believes in being part of this transformative journey, contributing to India’s energy transition. Here are some glimpses of his global experiences on the same as a photo-feature.
Day 1: Brussels (Belgium)
Meeting at Wind Europe Office
Discussion: Introduction to the EU context: offshore wind energy, protection of marine ecosystems and a path forward amid economic uncertainty
Guided Tour of the Port of Ostend
Briefing about the Maritime History of Ostend, Infrastructure and Facilities and how the port has transitioned to Offshore wind service port from a fishing port.
Day 2: Ostend (Belgium)
Visit to the Offshore Wind Farms and Elia’s Modular Offshore Grid project in Ostend, Belgium
Visit to Elia’s Offshore Wind substation which is about 50 Km from the coast.
Princess Elisabeth Island: 3.5GW energy hub collecting offshore wind and providing interconnection between countries.
Day 3: The Hague (Netherlands)
Meetings with Dutch Govt. Officials representing Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, Dutch Environmental and Climate NGOs.
Discussion about how the Netherlands take ecology into account in the roll out of offshore wind energy projects.
A guided walking tour at the beach with a marine ecologist from the North Sea Foundation.
Visit to TenneT’s landing point at Wijk aan Zee: Wijk aan Zee is the largest transformation station in the Netherlands and is operated by TenneT. Located on the shoreline, this landing point connects 3 wind farms (Crosswind, Ecowende, and RWE) to the Dutch national grid.
Day 4: Esbjerg (Denmark)
Visit to the Port of Esbjerg, Vattenfall’s surveillance centre and Meeting with key stakeholders at the Esbjerg Port to discuss the engagement between offshore wind developers with fishermen
At this centre, Vattenfall monitors and controls 1,134 wind turbines from 10 different manufactures operating in five countries (Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the UK). The Esbjerg Control & Surveillance Centre is one of the biggest centres of its kind in Northern Europe, utilising SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) in its operations. The surveillance centre is engaged in technical monitoring of both offshore and onshore wind farms.
The Port previously transitioned from a fishing harbour to an offshore service harbour for oil and gas and made sure to educate and employ former fishermen from the harbour. Currently, the Port ships out between 1,000 and 1,500 MW of offshore wind capacity. They have so far been involved in over 59 different offshore wind projects amounting to more than 23.9 GW. More than 200 companies work at the Port, including today’s major players in the offshore wind industry.
Engagement with Fishermen community: Various aspects were discussed with the representative from Danish Fishermens Producers Organisation (DFPO) to understand their concerns, Mitigation Measures, Compensation and Benefit Sharing, exploring Communication Channels, Long-Term Engagement and developing Conflict Resolution Mechanisms.
Day 5: Copenhagen (Denmark)
Meeting at Ørsted’s office & Farewell Dinner
Meetings key Danish stakeholders about the environmental targets in Danish auctions and net positive ambitions.
Farewell Dinner
