New contracts, lost bids and long-term PPAs signal dynamic week in offshore wind

Cadeler has signed a contract to deploy its Nexra operations and maintenance (O&M) service for two wind farms offshore Taiwan.

The company’s wind installation vessel Wind Maker will start work next month on the three- to four-month program.

Cadeler introduced Nexra last year, citing the fast-rising take-up of spinning wind turbines in the 10- to 15-MW capacity range. These, it said, would require vessels with the technical capacity to handle more demanding service scopes, at increasing water depths.

Other Cadeler vessels offered for the new service are the Zaratan, Wind Scylla and Wind Keeper.

CAPE Holland secures work for pile driving offshore Taiwan

CDWE has contracted Venterra Group subsidiary CAPE Holland to support foundation and offshore substation pile installations at the Fengmiao wind farm development offshore Taiwan.

CAPE Holland will supply its CAPE VLT-640 tandem vibro lifting tool for pre-installation of the piles.

CDWE chose the tool for its capability to safely drive piles through problematic subsea soils that could cause risk of pile run, CAPE said, adding that the system has been used to install more than 400 jacket piles in Taiwan without incident.

Fengmiao is in the Taiwan Strait, 36 km from the coast of Taichung City, in water depths ranging from 53 to 64 m. It will have a capacity of 500 MW, with 33 wind turbine generator positions featuring 99 pre-piles through templates equipped with 15-MW turbines.

The offshore substation foundation comprises a four-legged jacket with four post-installed skirt piles, each 4.6 m in diameter and weighing up to 810 metric tons. All its piles are of the same diameter and weigh up to 585 mt.

PNE loses bid for Vietnam wind project

Mammoet completes transport, mooring work for BorWin 

At a fabrication yard in Jebel Ali, UAE, Mammoet has performed the transport, load-out and mooring of the 5,461-mt jacket foundation for the BorWin kappa offshore converter platform.

The platform is part of TenneT’s BorWin6 project in the German North Sea.

McDermott International is responsible for the project’s 980-MW high-voltage direct current system that will deliver the generated electricity to the German mainland.

As a subcontractor, Mammoet transported the jacket foundation using 216 axle lines of SPMTs powered by four power pack units to move and steer the load under full control during the load-out operation. 

The company also supplied winches to assist mooring management during quayside activities. Both the jacket and the foundation piles have since been secured for sailaway to Europe for the project’s next phase.

Later this year, Mammoet will complete the topside jack-up and weighing at the same yard. The topside has an anticipated weight of about 17,000 mt.

The company will deploy its Mega Jack system, which has previously supported lifts of loads weighing more than 40,000 mt, also preparing the topside for skidded loadout and sailaway.

EnBW, Google ink PPA for 100 MW of offshore wind power

The deal supports Google’s goal to run its global operations on 24/7 carbon‑free energy by 2030, ensuring each hour of consumption is matched with carbon‑free generation on the same grid. 

Under the agreement, EnBW will deliver power from He Dreiht, one of Europe’s largest offshore wind projects currently under construction, featuring an installed capacity of 960 MW. The project will make a substantial contribution to Germany’s renewable energy supply, and much of its output is already secured through long-term PPAs. 

Google, whose global data centers and AI infrastructure require reliable, low‑carbon power, said contracting new offshore wind capacity is essential to meeting rapidly growing electricity demand while accelerating grid decarbonization.