Vestas' big Iowan win, restructured Impsa opens factory

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Windpower Weekly 03rd August 2016

Windpower Monthly's weekly roundup of the top news from the wind industry, companies, policy, wind farm projects, operations & maintenance and technology. For full access to articles, including our extensive web archive, subscribe to Windpower Monthly. Top Stories Massachusetts eases path for 1.6GW offshore UNITED STATES: Massachusetts has passed a bill requiring local utilities to buy power from up to 1.6GW of offshore wind by July 2027. How Vestas won the Midwest UNITED STATES: A well-proven, competitively priced turbine and a strategic service agreement gave Vestas the edge over its rivals to win a 2GW deal with MidAmerican. Restructured Impsa builds turbine factory ARGENTINA: One week after signing a major restructuring deal to save the company, Argentinean engineering firm Industrias Metalurgicas Pescarmona (Impsa) has inaugurated a new wind turbine factory in the west of the country. EXPERT: How Dong achieved a landmark strike price NETHERLANDS: The announcement of the Borselle auction results was greeted by the offshore wind industry with a mixture of astonishment, delight, and (from competitors) a little concern. Dong Energy had beaten the €100/MWh levelised cost of energy (LCOE) barrier well ahead of schedule. Business and Companies Wind's retiring champion UK: From designing vertical-axis-turbines to developing wind farms and shaping policy, industry veteran and outgoing RES chief Ian Mays has seen many changes in the wind industry. Nordex unveils 3.6MW turbine GERMANY: Nordex will release two versions of a new 3.6MW turbine at the WindEnergy Hamburg event in Germany next month. Better than expected H1 for Gamesa SPAIN: Manufacturer Gamesa has continued a run of increasing quarters as it posts record revenues and order intake in the first half of 2016, resulting in an upgraded outlook for 2016. Crisis management WORLDWIDE: Knowing what to do in an emergency - and working to prevent it from happening in the first place - is a legal requirement for offshore wind staff and could save lives. Van Oord to take over Bilfinger Offshore NETHERLANDS: Offshore wind contractor Van Oord has reached a deal to acquire the offshore wind activities of German engineering firm Bilfinger, including assets and employees. Nordex sales up 35% following Acciona merger GERMANY: The Nordex group, now incorporating Acciona Windpower, has reported sales up 35% to €1.5 billion in the first half of 2016, as the company looks to expand in new markets. Big Picture: Raising expectations GERMANY: Mounted on a 164-metre concrete-steel hybrid tower for a tip height of nearly 230 metres, this 3.3MW Nordex N131 in south-west Germany is now the world's tallest wind turbine. Endesa acquires Enel's Spanish renewables unit SPAIN: Utility Endesa has acquired 60% of renewables division Enel Green Power Espana (EGPE), together with 1.6GW of online wind assets, from its parent company for €1.2 billion. Marubeni forms offshore consortium JAPAN: Marubeni Corporation has signed an agreement with a consortium of companies, including utilities, to carry out feasibility studies for its two proposed projects at Akita Port and Noshiro Port in Akita Prefecture, in the northern part of the major Japanese island. Tennet to research reserve power capability NETHERLANDS: Tennet and four partners will begin a pilot scheme to investigate whether clean power, including wind, can provide reserve power to national grids. E V E N T   P R O M O T I O N The Head of Central Maintenance at EDP Renewables said: "Very frequently when a maintenance budget needs to be reduced, the blade is one of the first elements to be sacrificed. But that is a great error. To inspect and to repair small deteriorations of blades regularly is one of the most effective strategies to avoid major increments in future OPEX."  Give your blades the attention they deserve at Windpower Monthly's award-winning Blade Inspection, Damage & Repair Forum. More info   Latest Jobs Journalist/Writer for the ENDS report , ENDSreport Dependent on experience, London (Greater) Graduate Surveyor - Noise and Vibration , SLR Consulting Ltd Competitive basic salary, comprehensive benefits package, training provided in noise monitoring, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Senior/Principal Ecologist - East Anglia , Peritus Green £33,000 - £40,000, East Anglia Markets and Policy Argentina delays tender as interest grows ARGENTINA: Competition in the first tender under Argentina's new renewables programme Renovar is likely to be even tougher after the government put back the deadline for offers and removed a series of restrictions on which companies can participate. German developers rush to beat tariff cut GERMANY: A net total of 1,892MW of new onshore wind capacity was installed in the first half of 2016, a 73% increase on the same period last year, according to Deutsche Windguard. New legislation paves way for 500MW of wind farms SERBIA: Serbia has laid the groundwork for the construction of 500MW in wind farms with the approval and publication of long-awaited renewable-energy legislation on power purchasing agreement criteria, incentives and other details of the market framework. Advanced-stage US projects increase in Q2 UNITED STATES: More than 18.2GW of US wind power capacity is being built or in an advanced stage of development, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). WindEconomics: Offshore industry aims for €80/MWh by 2025 WORLDWIDE: The European Union's transport, telecommunications and energy council met on 6 June to discuss a range of energy issues. Only visibility and volume can deliver cost cuts FRANCE: France claims to have learned from the first two offshore tender rounds and has changed the system for the next one. Emerging from the cold WORLDWIDE: Despite the additional challenges and costs involved, cold-climates sites are increasingly attractive to developers thanks to their high winds and location in mature markets. And technological advances have made tackling icy conditions easier. ACWA Power selects Vestas for 120MW site MOROCCO: Vestas has been awarded a 120MW deal from local project developer ACWA Power to supply turbines to a site in Tangier, northern Morocco. US utility pledges $1bn for Iowa wind UNITED STATES: A Wisconsin-based utility will invest $1 billion in adding up to 500MW of wind capacity in Iowa over the next five years. Nordex wins 66MW Brazil deal BRAZIL: The Nordex Group has won a deal to supply turbines to a 66MW EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN) project in eastern Brazil. ORE Catapult to create 'digital clone' of 7MW turbine UK: The UK's offshore wind innovation centre has been awarded £215,000 from the Scottish government to create a "digital clone" of its 7MW turbine in order to further understand its behaviours. WindTech: Offshore wind looks to island hubs WORLDWIDE: Natural and artificial islands are attracting interest from offshore developers as O&M hubs. Only registered Windpower Monthly subscribers and current trialists can access full articles. View subscription options.