In order to provide operations and maintenance support to meet the needs of large new wind farms operating increasingly far offshore, the Fred Olsen group has developed a 3-module offshore installation.
The Windbase is a flexible solution with a mix of facilities and capabilities. These can be delivered individually or in combination with other offshore marine assets. Windbase includes an accommodation module, a full service base and a fully operational offshore heliport – which remove the need for onshore quayside services.
David Matthews, Windbase Project Director, said that by marrying established technologies and services from within the Fred. Olsen related companies, they can create a fixed offshore facility that offers developers a way to reduce operating costs for the next generation of wind farms built further from shore.
He added: “The beauty of this new approach lies in the fact that it offers a through-life capability, deployed very early in the construction phase for installation and commissioning, and remaining onsite until the project is re-powered or decommissioned.
“I’m sure that through use it will evolve over time, with year on year efficiency gains further reducing O&M costs.”
A final investment decision on the first full-scale version is expected in the first half of 2016.
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