offshore turbine.jpg [4]

Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica, S.A. (OTC: GCTAY.PK [5]) is leading an all-Spanish consortium of 11 companies and 22 research centers to develop the world’s largest wind turbine called Azimet [6] -- a 15 megawatt (MW) giant targeted at offshore projects -- to be ready for deployment around 2020.

The Spanish consortium announced Tuesday that the initial four years of the project will cost €25 million ($34.5 million) and will be financed by the Spanish government and by the participating companies.

In addition to Gamesa, lead partners are Alstom Wind (Euronext: ALO.PA [7]), Acciona Windpower and Acciona Energia (OTC: ACXIF.PK [8]), and Iberdrola Renovables (OTC: IBDRY.PK [9]). Other participants include including Técnicas Reunidas, Ingeteam, Ingeciber, Imatia, Tecnitest Ingenieros and DIgSILENT Ibérica.

The consortium said the project objective is to develop a turbine capable of overcoming the technical and financial hurdles currently limiting the rollout of offshore wind energy. 

Gamesa will head activities related to offshore wind energy capture; Acciona Windpower will be responsible for electricity conversion technologies; Alstom Wind will manage the marine structure and substructure segment; Acciona Energía will head construction, operation and maintenance at offshore sites; and Iberdrola Renovables will manage the integration of offshore wind energy into the electricity grid.

EnergyBoom reported September 2, 2010 [10] that four consortiums were competing to build the world’s first 10 MW wind turbine. These groups determined that wind turbines of at least 10 MW were needed to convert the energy from the globe’s most relentless and powerful offshore winds into renewable and profitable electricity.

Cape Wind [11], America’s first planned offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts in the middle of Nantucket Sound, will install 130 3.6-MW turbines built by Siemens AG (NYSE: SI [12]). 

U.S. WILL SPEED OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT LEASING 

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar Tuesday today announced a coordinated federal-state wind energy initiative to speed the siting, leasing and construction of new projects offshore wind projects. 

“The Cape Wind lease is an historic milestone in America’s renewable energy future, but a permitting process of seven to nine years is simply unacceptable, Salazar said at a press conference in Baltimore.  “Our ‘Smart from the Start’ Initiative for Atlantic wind will allow us to identify priority Wind Energy Areas for potential development, improve our coordination with local, state, and federal partners, and accelerate the leasing process.

The accelerated leasing process is being simplified through a regulatory change, enabling leases to be issued in 2011 and 2012.

Planning and permitting of Cape Wind has taken almost 10 years. Final Massachusetts approval was given Tuesday and the federal lease was issued October 6.  The company has said construction will not begin before late 2011 and will take two years to complete.

Photo credit: Gamesa Corp.

DISCLOSURE: The writer has no positions in, or professional connections with, these companies.