The five first monopiles and one transition piece installed at Walney 2
On Saturday 9 April 2011, the first monopile for Walney 2 was placed, and seven days later, the first transition piece was loaded out and placed successfully on the monopile.

First monopile for Walney 2 launched from
the new strong points.

The foundation installation methods used for Walney 2 are similar to the principles used for Walney 1. Again, the monopiles are flooded to the installation vessel from the construction site in Barrow.

Flooded from Barrow to the installation site.

Due to the water depth, the longer and heavier monopiles are handled by the heavy-lift barge Svanen,

The heavy-lift barge Svanen.

while Goliath can focus on the transition pieces. For the installation process, the Goliath can bring two transition pieces at a time, resulting in 26 trips to Barrow.

First transition Piece was installed April 16.

So far, 16 monopiles and 15 transition pieces have reached the Ramsden Dock in Barrow, where they are stored and preinstalled before the actual installation.

Two new service vessels handed over to O&M
At a small ceremony on 11 April held in the temporary barracks housing the Walney O&M (Operation and Maintenance) organisation, two new purpose-built service vessels were handed over to the O&M organisation for the Walney Offshore Windfarms.

Two new service vessels and a new service pontoon are in place. On the quay the new Walney O&M building is under construction (right).

- Something extraordinary
The vessels are to be used daily all year round for transportation of technicians and small spare parts from the O&M base in Barrow-in-Furness to the offshore wind turbines.

The vessels are the final result of the continuing development of special-purpose vessels initiated by DONG Energy in 2006. The two vessels are a 32m monohull crew boat and a 21m catamaran crew boat.

Wind Transfer in open sea.   See her cruising around in the wind farm.

The monohull is based on experience from operating a 32m long sister vessel on the largest offshore wind farm in Denmark, ie Horns Rev 2, where the distinctive hull slender lines have proven very efficient.

The catamaran is a newly developed vessel based on a long range of vessels previously built by the yard Alnmaritec in Blyth/Newcastle with newly developed hull lines, which have been tested in Norway.

Both vessels are designed from the same idea:

• slender foreship which cuts through the waves
• two adjustable propellers in semi-tunnels
• bow thrusters for improved manoeuvrability
• ‘intelligent fender’ which can detect the load on the wind turbine foundation
• data logging equipment which can collect data on how the vessel is performing and the comfort data of passengers and crew
• comfortable accommodation for passengers with low noise levels.

The two vessels will offer a significantly higher level of comfort for passengers and better working conditions for crew compared to most wind farm service vessels used in the Irish Sea.

Data sheets on
Wind Transporter
Wind Transfer


20 turbines commissioned in Walney 1
A total of 20 turbines have been commissioned in Walney 1. The commissioning have been haltered by two planned power outages from the National Grid.

Walney 2 offshore substation ready for transport
On April 26 the offshore substation for Walney 2 will begin its journey from Aalborg in Denmark to its final position in the Irish Sea, where the installation is expected to begin early May, dependent on the weather.  

Ready for the transport from Aalborg in Denmark, to it's final destination in the Irish Sea.

The offshore transformer is practically a copy of the Walney 1 offshore substation. However, the increased water depth has increased the weight of the construction for Walney 2. The weight of the topside is 1,200 tonnes and the weight of the jacket is 1,100 tonnes.

Walney 2 onshore cable
At the shore at Cleveleys near Blackpool the preparation for the arrival of the export cable are ongoing. 

 
A PE pipe will be pulled through the coffer dam. The PE pipe will then host the export cable, which is due to arrive early May.

For the land cable route – the last horizontal drilling is ongoing – a 15m deep drill underneath a small water course for the Walney 2 onshore substation.
For the onshore substation, the last building has been finished and is now ready for placement of the high-voltage switchgear, whereto the export cable will be connected. The equipment will arrive early May. 

More details on the onshore cabling for Walney 2 .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Walney Offshore Windfarms The Walney Offshore Windfarms project is located approximately 15km west of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. The project consists of Walney 1 and Walney 2 each with 51 - 3.6MW turbines, giving a total capacity of the Walney project of 367.2MW. The rotor diameter of the turbines is 107m for Walney 1 and 120m for Walney 2, with a maximum height of 150m from blade tip to sea level. The total area of the development is some 73km2.