Parkwind, a subsidiary of JERA Nex, has installed a ship charging station system at its 165 MW Nobelwind offshore wind farm in the Belgian North Sea.

At the Nobelwind wind farm, a new operational system makes it possible to connect ships to a charging cable and use locally generated renewable energy while stationary, despite sea currents.

The charging system is designed for both Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) with a payload of up to 2 MW and for Operating Vessels (SOVs) with a payload of up to 8 MW. In addition, the system can be used to power other conventional offshore vessels on standby, reducing emissions from diesel generators, Parkwind said.

Working closely with Parkwind, UK-based MJR Power & Automation, the company that supplied the system, carried out all electrical and mechanical interface engineering to install the system at the substation.

Parkwind provided offshore logistics, offshore installation, test support and electrical power interface.

The system was transported to the quayside to the offshore substation via CTV and lifted into modules using the substation crane. Within two days it was assembled, connected and commissioned at the substation, the company said.

The setup was tested and achieved a world first by safely transferring power to a CTV from a fully operational and producing offshore wind farm, Parkwind said.

“Furthermore, this process did not cause any disruption or interruption to the operation of the wind farm, and there was no failure or damage to any part of the loading system, either topside or to the vessel. The entire operation was carried out without incident or near miss and can be classified as 100% safe,” said Parkwind.

The company added that MJR will incorporate lessons learned from the trials into the delivery of the first commercial offshore loading system, scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.

In March 2023, MJR, together with Blackfish Engineering and Tidal Transit, completed port trials of the platform-mounted loading system at the Port of Blyth in the UK.

“Part-funded by The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership and made possible by the original support of the UK Department for Transport in the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, the success of this trial is testament to the specialist maritime and offshore engineering skills of MJR Power & Automation, its trusted partners Blackfish Engineering Design and Tidal Transit,” said Paul CairnsGeneral Manager of MJR.

Nobelwind has been operational since 2017 and is Parkwind’s third offshore wind energy project. The project is located 47 kilometres off the coast in the Belgian North Sea and comprises 50 wind turbines installed on 19.8 square kilometres, supplying approximately 190,000 households with electricity.

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