A new CENELEC Workshop is being established that will bring focus to the discussion on wind energy and Europe’s carbon reduction goals. The project’s vision is to provide clarity in the design requirements for offshore wind turbines.
Offshore wind will be an important element in the energy mix towards a decarbonized economy and will contribute towards a secure energy future. Within Europe, a significant growth of offshore wind will have to be made over the coming 10 years, compared to the volume currently being installed offshore. This growth will need to be supported by large investments that the broader offshore wind industry will have to carry – not only investments in projects, but also investments in manufacturing capacity for e.g. wind turbines and foundations, and for assets like installation and service vessels, and ports. Such investments in manufacturing capacity and assets will only happen when there is an outlook to a viable project pipeline (i.e. projects that will be realized and not e.g. build on speculation) and when there is certainty on which products the broader supply chain needs to support, which starts with the wind turbines.
This project will propose to put into force a tip height limit for a period of several years that will provide clarity to the supply chain on the maximum size of products to be catered for. This will provide clarity and help unlock investments in additional capacity in the broader supply chain and provide for a sufficiently long depreciation period of such investments.
In addition, operational offshore wind power plants face quality issues and will gain from more robust wind turbines. Less teething issues and increased production of clean energy from the start of operation. The CWA will address the uncertainty in the supply chain by providing design requirements for offshore wind turbines in Northern European Seas, including North Sea, Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea and Irish Sea. Design requirements include specifications of maximum tip height and fixed minimum tip clearance.
The kick-off meeting for the Workshop is planned to take place at the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre on 31 March 2025 from 10.00 am to 4.00 p.m. (CEST).
All interested parties are invited to submit comments on the draft Project Plan using the commenting form below, to the Workshop secretary (NEN) Koen Kobes (koen.kobes@nen.nl) by 24th March 2025.
For more technical details, please refer to the draft Project Plan, which contains all relevant technical information. Additionally, comments or observations can be submitted via the dedicated commenting form below.
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