Upcoming Challenges for the Construction of Energy Islands in the North Sea
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XXIII - Dredging is changing - The Practice. The Science. The Business.
Authors:
W. Klomp, B. van Olst, P. de Vries, C. Hoyng
Abstract
"The construction of energy islands in the North Sea poses several challengers to the developers, designers and marine contractors. In this paper, three concepts are considered for a small energy island. The concepts are compared on relative costs, CO2 emission during construction and constructability. All three concepts are judged technically feasible, but especially their risk profile in construction shows significant differences. For an energy island of some 8 ha typical designs for the three concepts are presented and the volumes of material involved are calculated. These volumes are the basis for a construction analysis of the concept, the associated risk on delay due to severe weather and possible measures to reduce the risks. The construction challenges associated with the concepts, the relative costs and the CO2 emission during construction can support authorities and developers in selecting locations and preferred concept for the energy islands to be developed in the North Sea."
Keywords: Energy islands, marine construction, weather downtime, sand reclamation, rock protection, caissons.