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Helicopters may play role in offshore wind farms
March 16, 2016 By Offshore Wind Journal
Analyst Douglas-Westwood (DW) expects that as offshore windfarms move further offshore greater use will be made of helicopters to transfer turbine technicians. It notes that as the industry has evolved, there has been rapid growth in the use of crew transfer vessels: it believes this remains a viable and low-cost option for many projects, but developers are now exploring innovative logistics solutions for rapid access to windfarms.
In the U.K. use of helicopters for offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) is still relatively rare – to date it is limited to the Greater Gabbard and Westermost Rough projects. “However, for our North Sea neighbours, it is more commonplace,” said DW. “In Germany and Denmark, helicopters regularly service offshore windfarms – rapid response time and lack of dependence on sea conditions are both key motives for use. As such, helicopters are expected to feature in many future projects in the region, factored into a new style of O&M strategy.” | READ MORE
