Enercon secures wind turbine supply contract from Ripple Energy

German wind turbine manufacturer Enercon has received an order from Ripple Energy to supply turbines for the Kirk Hill wind farm in Ayrshire, UK.

The company will deliver and install eight E-92 turbines for the consumer-owned wind farm project, which will have a combined installed capacity of 18.8MW. 

Kirk Hill’s installation is scheduled to begin later this year, with the project expected to be operational by 2024. The deal also requires Enercon to maintain the Kirk Hill turbines after they start operations. 

Planning permission for the wind farm was given in October 2020 after a period of consultation and assessment.

Ripple Energy allows consumers to partly own stakes in large-scale wind projects, which insulates them from price shocks.

The Kirk Hill project’s construction and other project phases are being managed by Ripple, but the project is owned by its more than 5,600 investors. 

Enercon Western Europe sales and aftersales director Rick Hatton said:

“We are delighted to have signed a TSA to supply the largest consumer-owned wind farm in the UK and it’s fantastic to be involved in such an innovative project.” 

CIP to build artificial hydrogen island in Danish North Sea

Danish energy investment company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has unveiled plans to build an artificial hydrogen island in the Danish North Sea by 2030.

The BrintØ hydrogen island will primarily be used for the large-scale production of green hydrogen from offshore wind. The project will be built on the Danish part of Dogger Bank in the North Sea and be linked to 10GW of offshore wind power.

It will generate approximately one million tonnes of green hydrogen a year when fully operational, according to CIP, and renewable gas produced at the facility could be exported to nearby countries through 275km of offshore hydrogen pipeline infrastructure.

The move is part of CIP’s plans to invest $106bn (€100bn) in green energy projects by 2030.

The company currently manages 10 funds and nearly $18.9bn (€18bn) of assets focused on investments in energy infrastructure, including offshore wind, onshore wind and solar photovoltaic.

CIP partner Thomas Dalsgaard said: “Green energy will be harvested on a large scale out at sea, tied together by energy islands, converted into green hydrogen, and transported across borders via offshore hydrogen infrastructure.” 

TEPCO selects Jacobs to support Fukushima plant decommissioning

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has selected US-based engineering company Jacobs to support the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

In March 2011, an earthquake and tsunami led to a severe nuclear accident at the plant, which caused the meltdown of three reactors, hydrogen explosions and the release of radioactive material.

Under a five-year framework agreement, Jacobs will provide its expertise and knowledge to TEPCO’s Fukushima Decontamination and Decommissioning Engineering Company.

Jacobs will help the company address challenges such as the treatment of contaminated water, decontaminated water release, spent fuel, fuel debris and general site improvements.

It will also offer project management support, a decommissioning strategy, the management and implementation of supply chain resources and programme definition for fuel debris retrieval.

Jacobs’ team has been working with TEPCO in Japan and the UK since 2016. Under this new framework, the team will work with the client’s organisation to assist with further developing in-house decommissioning and engineering capabilities.

Jacobs energy security and technology senior vice-president Karen Wiemelt said: “Drawing on important cultural aspects of our client relationship, effective communication and mutual understanding, as well as our deep domain experience, we will deploy deep technical capabilities to deliver superior solutions.

“Jacobs values this opportunity to create bespoke processes, embodying industry best practices, to advance the clean-up of the world’s most complex nuclear decommissioning site for the benefit of future generations.”

Siemens Energy looking to buy remaining stake in Siemens Gamesa

Germany-based energy firm Siemens Energy is reportedly planning to acquire the remaining stake in Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE), with the aim of delisting the company.

Siemens Energy currently holds a 67% stake in SGRE and is said to be under shareholders’ pressure to buy the remaining 33% stake. The company inherited the 67% stake as part of a spin-off from its former parent company Siemens.

The 33% stake that Siemens Energy is considering acquiring is estimated to be worth around $3.31bn (€3.14bn), and according to Reuters, the deal is expected to be finalised later this year. Siemens Energy’s shareholders want the company to acquire the remaining stake, as it is believed this could help solve its operational problems.

In April, the company launched a restructuring plan to address supply chain problems, delays in key projects and cost inflation that had negatively impacted its results and prompted three profit warnings within a year.

The plan came after Siemens Energy recorded net losses of more than $314.7m (€300m) for two consecutive quarters.

Reuters quoted Siemens Energy as saying: “Management is considering a cash tender offer for all outstanding shares in SGRE with the intention to delist.

Tata Power Solar wins 300MW solar project from NHPC in India

Indian energy firm Tata Power Solar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power, has secured a 300MW solar project worth $222m (Rs17.3bn) from the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).

Tata Power Solar will develop the project in the Indian state of Rajasthan under the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency’s Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) scheme. The project will be completed within a period of 18 months and will feature solar cells and modules produced in India.

Once completed, the solar facility will have the capacity to generate around 750 million units of electricity and offset around 636,960 carbon emissions a year.

The order brings Tata Power Solar’s pending order book to $1.74bn (Rs135bn) and its total utility-scale solar project portfolio to 9.7GWp.

Earlier in May, the company secured an engineering, procurement and construction order for a project worth $716m (Rs55bn) from Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, an Indian state-owned power company.

The 1GW solar facility will be built in the Indian state of Rajasthan on a site covering more than 5,000 acres.

Tata Power managing director and CEO Dr Praveer Sinha said: “We are honoured to have won this significant project from NHPC.

Ørsted and TotalEnergies to bid for Dutch offshore wind sites

Danish energy firm Ørsted and French power company TotalEnergies have partnered to submit bids for the two offshore wind sites in the Hollandse Kust West (HKW) zone.

Located around 53km from the Dutch coast, the two HKW sites have a combined capacity of nearly 1.5GW.

Under their partnership, the two companies aim to combine their knowledge of renewable energy and the offshore wind segment to allow the Netherlands to generate 70GW of offshore wind energy by 2050.

Through a green energy and hydrogen production investment programme, TotalEnergies intends to decarbonise its industrial activities in the Zeeland province.

Zeeland is due to come online by 2027 with 600MW of electrolysis capacity. The cluster will be powered entirely by the Holland Coast West wind farm. TotalEnergies will also aim to ensure the stability of the Netherlands’ national power grid.

Ørsted Continental Europe region head Rasmus Errboe said: “We are very pleased with our partnership with TotalEnergies for the upcoming Dutch tenders.

“With our joint bids, we want to ensure the Netherlands can accelerate its offshore wind build-out towards 2030 and beyond, in a state-of-the-art ecologically friendly manner and as part of an integrated energy system.

“Ørsted looks forward to making a significant contribution to the energy transition in the Netherlands, together with TotalEnergies.” 

JERA Americas to buy 1.6GW thermal portfolio from Stonepeak

JERA Americas, a subsidiary of Japan-based energy firm JERA, has agreed to acquire a 1.6GW thermal power portfolio in New England, US, from alternative investment firm Stonepeak.

The thermal power portfolio includes the 566MW Canal I facility and Canal II and III, which have 559MW and 333MW of capacity respectively. Also included in the portfolio is the Bucksport thermal plant in Bucksport, Maine, which has 175MW of capacity.

JERA Americas said that the thermal power portfolio will help in maintaining grid reliability as it moves forward with its clean energy vision. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed by either company.

JP Morgan Securities served as an advisor to Stonepeak for the transaction.

Earlier this year, JERA Americas’ parent company JERA reached heads of agreement with West Holdings Corporation to develop around 1GW of solar power capacity in Japan over the next five years.

JERA Americas CEO Steven Winn said: “The transition to net-zero CO₂ emissions energy is a multi-step process demanding emission reductions on many fronts with several different technologies.

“Securing these assets will allow us to reduce CO₂ emissions from the existing facilities, and use these locations as a foothold for supporting largescale renewable energy facilities and technologies.

“These facilities remain critical to ensuring grid stability and providing power to the New England market during high-demand periods.”