A problem is brewing for Australia’s aspiring offshore wind industry from the growing shortage of ships, globally, that can handle ever-larger turbines.
Not only is there a problem with finding enough ships big enough to transport the huge turbines and their blades, there are even few that have the capacity to install the massive sub-sea foundations necessary to support them, according to energy research house BNEF.
Industry participants in Gippsland are very aware of the issue, and have been sending out more strongly worded warnings that they need the certainty of the underwriting auction, announced yesterday, to start signing up suppliers for Australian projects.
This includes vessels, which already have a very long reservation time.
“On the supply side of things, the fleet of vessels that can install these offshore wind farms is actualling shrinking because turbines are getting bigger and heavier,” UK-based BNEF offshore wind analyst Kajsa Jernetz told the organisation’s Switched On podcast (not to be confused with Renew Economy’s in house podcast of the same name).
