Cefas signs major contract for Round 3 windfarm metocean data delivery
Reference: 02-13
22 January 2013
Cefas has signed a major contract with East Anglia Offshore Wind
Ltd (EAOW) to provide
metocean data that will support the development of the East Anglia
Zone in the North Sea.
EAOW is a joint venture owned 50:50 by ScottishPower Renewables
and Vattenfall, and has been created for the development of the
East Anglia Zone. It is estimated that the 7.2 GW zone has the
potential to meet the equivalent electricity needs of 4.6 million
homes.
The three-year project will involve the deployment, operation
and servicing of directional waverider buoys and seabed
"mini-landers" at a number of sites across the East Anglia
Zone.
Directional waverider buoys measure wave height, period and
direction, while mini-landers acquire current profile, wave, water
depth and suspended sediment data.
The combined datasets will thus provide an in-depth
oceanographic assessment of the development zone.
Dr Siân Limpenny, Cefas' Offshore Renewable Energy Programme
Director, said: "We are pleased to continue working with EAOW to
deliver their metocean needs. The science base and monitoring
services that Cefas offer have the potential to reduce costs
associated with developing the East Anglia Zone and add a wider
understanding of the marine environment.
"The offshore renewables sector is strategically important for
the development of future energy needs in the UK. The wave data we
collect during this project - which will be relayed back to Cefas
in near real-time - will also contribute to a national network of
wave monitoring stations. This data is then publicly accessible
through our WaveNet website."
EAOW Programme Director, Andy Paine, said: "We are delighted to
be working with Cefas, who are a locally based East Anglian
business and have an internationally recognised reputation and
wide-ranging capability in the marine sector. Their
multidisciplinary approach will help us refine our design process
with the goal of reducing the overall costs associated with our
projects."
During 2010/11 Cefas deployed a number of waverider buoys and
acoustic wave and current profilers (using mini-landers) to make
wave, tide and current measurements in the proposed East Anglia ONE
Windfarm area.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
(Cefas) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the UK's most diverse applied
marine science organisation. It provides evidence-based scientific
advice, manages related data and information, and conducts
world-class scientific research. It is also engaged in a range of
commercial activities in the renewable energy, infrastructure and
other marine sectors. For more detail about its range of activities
visit www.cefas.defra.gov.uk.
- East Anglia Offshore Wind Ltd is the joint-venture company,
which is owned 50:50 between ScottishPower Renewables and
Vattenfall AB. For more information visit www.eastangliawind.com.
- The UK government aims to achieve 15% energy consumption from
renewable sources by 2020.
- Construction activity for the East Anglia Zone could last 10
years, with operations for each windfarm running for 20+ years.
EAOW represents a significant opportunity for the East Anglian
region in terms of investment, jobs and economic growth.
- The contract covers the collection of metocean data at a number
of sites across the East Anglia Zone. The development zone is
approximately 6,000km2 - an area that is 10% larger than
Norfolk or 15 times the size of the Isle of Wight.
- Cefas offers a "whole life-cycle" approach to the marine
renewable energy sector. From design through to decommissioning,
Cefas advises on the impacts of both individual devices and whole
arrays, and supports operational and construction decisions through
marine monitoring and reliable forecasting. For more information
about Cefas' capabilities, please view our brochure
or contact renewable@cefas.co.uk.
- Cefas has extensive experience in the deployment, recovery and
operation of waverider buoys and acoustic wave and current
profilers. In the past 11 years, Cefas has carried out in excess of
150 waverider deployments, which typically are in place at sea for
10-13 months.
- On behalf of Defra, the Environment Agency, the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency and the Met Office, Cefas operates
the WaveNet programme. Waveriders and SmartBuoys are deployed at 21
oceans sites around the UK to give early warning of marine
conditions and potential flooding risks. Near real-time marine data
and continually updated maps are available on a dedicated section
of Cefas' website: www.cefas.defra.gov.uk/wavenet.
Press contacts
Cefas - Anne McClarnon: +44 (0) 1502 524370 / anne.mcclarnon@cefas.co.uk
EAOW - Grant Baskerville: +44(0) 203 301 6450
/ grant.baskerville@vattenfall.com