Walk this way | Zero-motion offshore wind bridge gets first order in US for Orsted trio
Dane's South Fork, Revolution, and Sunrise wind farms in Atlantic will all see use of Ampelmann's Walk2Work system to provide technician access to turbines
In a first for the US offshore wind industry, developer Orsted will deploy Dutch outfit Ampelmann’s Walk2Work (W2W) system for technician access to turbines during and after the construction of the Dane's South Fork, Revolution, and Sunrise wind farms off the country’s northeast.
The W2W system is a motion-compensated bridge that moves with six degrees of freedom to provide workers to transit from a vessel to an offshore wind turbine with a stable gangway with “zero” movement.
Ampelmann signed the contract with Orsted’s Louisiana-based marine transportation and towing company Otto Candies, a reflection of the emerging synergies between US and global firms as the offshore wind industry ramps up.
The 132MW South Fork Wind, co-developed by Orsted with local utility Eversource, is the second project to enter construction in the US and will begin offshore installation work next spring, with power slated to be flowing to New York by year’s end.
Revolution Wind’s construction and operations plan (COP) is expected to be approved in the second quarter of next year, with delivery of its 704MW of power split between Connecticut and Rhode Island grids.
The 880MW Sunrise Wind will likely receive its COP approval by the third quarter of 2023.
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