Windpower Monthly – daily news, indepth features and comprehensive market reports

Market report on the global grid challenge

Windpower Monthly Global Grid Report 2024: The Challenge, The Costs, The Cures – An indepth look at the current and future state of play of the world’s grids and transmission networks. And we ask what impact slow buildout and insufficient investment would have on the wind industry and global net zero ambitions. See below for contents. Published April 2024  (digital publication available to purchase and/or for Windpower Monthly subscribers)

• Wind targets remain out of reach without massive grid expansion
• The length and breadth of the challenge for global governments
• Why we need wind turbines to become more intelligent
• Grid connection queues and costs skyrocket for US wind developers
• Zombie projects and curtailment in the UK – a developer’s perspective
• Europe looks to cross-border connections to ease bottlenecks as wind power expands
• China leads global transmission investment, but mixed picture across rest of Asia Pacific
• Our at-a-glance guide to key wind markets

Features

• Has offshore wind become a victim of its own success (Windpower Monthly Offtake Agreements Insight Report): Contracts for difference (CfDs) and power purchase agreements (PPAs) were seen as the best way to combine stability for the industry with low prices for consumers, but inflation and escalating costs could mean an urgent rethink is needed of how offshore wind is funded. 25 September 2023 (PDF download, available to Windpower Monthly subscribers only)
• A matter of perspective: The global energy crisis has thrown the cost of achieving net zero into the spotlight, but will it really be as expensive as some suggest? And, even if it were, the bill for back-tracking on global ambitions in both economic and human terms could be significantly higher. September 2022  (print issue), article available online October 2022
• The make or break point for offshore wind: Offshore grid investment and interconnection innovation are crucial for a successful global transition to net zero and energy security — so what needs to be done? June 2022 (print issue), article available online July 2022

Daily News Stories & Bulletins

August 2024

• Tokyo Gas buys stake in one of Europe’s first floating wind farms 6 August 2024
• Iberdola accelerates electricity networks growth with UK acquisition 5 August 2024

July 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (25 July 2024)

• ‘Overriding public interest status’ needed for new grid lines – WindEurope
• Siemens Energy and Dragados win €2.9bn contract for 2GW offshore wind converter system
• Cable supply deal secured for Scottish HVDC transmission
• German TSO-industry partnership to develop HVDC multiterminal hubs for North Sea offshore wind

June 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (27 June 2024)

• South Korea cable production ‘marks new beginning’ – Tennet
• Finland to boost west coast wind hub transmission capacity
• Cable supplier vows to ‘dominate’ global offshore wind market

May 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (30 May 2024)

• Ferc makes long-term planning mandatory for transmission providers
• Finland identifies areas for offshore wind farm connections
• Avangrid inaugurates grid upgrade for 800MW offshore wind farm
• National Grid sells US renewable division to focus on networks business

May 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (2 May 2024)

• New transmission roadmap to ease US grid queues for wind
• DOE issues ruling slashing transmission permit review time
• National Grid consulting communities on Scotland-England wind links

April 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (4 April 2024)

• VicGrid unveils study area for offshore wind transmission in Australia
• UK fast-tracks approval for offshore wind cabling project
• Atlantic coast transmission network ‘will boost wind’ – DOE

March 2024

• Researchers develop turbine control systems for improved grid stability 14 March 2024

March 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (7 March 2024)

• US issues RfPs for $1.4 billion of transmission projects
• UK regulator grants extension to grid connection offer date amid overwhelming applications
• Firm secures key grid connection approval for Windanker
• Consultations open on funding for 3.2GW UK–EU interconnectors

February 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (8 February 2024)

• Supply chain bottlenecks ‘will delay’ German North Sea grid
• US coalition launches transmission buildout ‘call to action’
• Grid congestion reducing German North Sea wind production – Tennet
• Europe to connect nearly 500GW of offshore renewables by 2050
• Grid constraints cost UK £1 billion per year in wasted wind power generation

January 2024 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (11 January 2024)

• Seatrium suffers NY offshore wind substation cancellation blow
• Pattern closes ‘groundbreaking’ $11bn financing deal for SunZia
• Bidders sought to connect French floating offshore wind farms
• Adani to build 7GW renewables transmission line in Gujarat

December 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (13 December 2023)

• Early start for Bornholm energy island technologies tender
• COP28 warning: 2030 offshore wind ambitions will fail without urgent investment in grids
• EU ‘needs €584bn’ to roll out electricity grid action plan
• Invenergy acquires 3.6GW New Jersey offshore wind transmission project

November 2023

• Report: ‘Zombie’ projects causing grid queues but US regulators removing roadblocks 28 November 2023

November 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (17 November 2023)

• US announces $1.3bn transmission boost amid ‘pressing need’ for new infrastructure
• Approval for critical German transmission projects
• SunZia transmission line works halted after ‘urgent request’ from indigenous group
• National Grid ups capital spend on transmission infrastructure in UK and US
• Adani commissions power line for key Indian wind power corridor

October 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (19 October 2023)

• ERBD to fund transmission line for 2.1GW of Egypt wind power
• Transmission deals signed after FID on 1.1GW Polish offshore 
• Consultation starts on 2GW wind shared transmission assets 
• Approval secured for US multistate 5GW transmission line
• UK opposition party promises faster energy grid connections

September 2023

• India publishes 7.2GW Tamil Nadu offshore wind tender plan 29 September 2023
• New Blaest test rig for 115m plus offshore blades 28 September 2023
• Vestas to supply 147MW for Swedish onshore wind farm 28 September 2023
• Only three wind projects secure contracts in Irish renewables auction 27 September 2023
• UK’s fourth largest onshore wind project on ice amid spiraling costs and ‘unfair’ tax 27 September 2023

September 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (21 September 2023)

• Amprion advances plans for German wind transmission corridors
• Mammoth German SuedLink underground line starts construction
• Con Edison breaks ground on 1.5GW NY offshore wind gateway
• Hellenic secures cable contracts for three European projects
• RWE and Tennet agree OranjeWind offshore wind farm connection
• Report urges policy reform to deliver US transmission projects that connect wind and solar

August 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (24 August 2023)

• Industry hails call to slash UK grid build times to meet wind demand
• DeepOcean chosen for subsea installation at Nordseecluster A
• Substation construction starts at Ørsted’s Taiwan wind farms
• Rhode Island regulators slammed for ‘concerning precedent’ impeding offshore wind success

July 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (27 July 2023)

• Rhode Island regulator halts review of transmission line for 1.2GW SouthCoast Wind project
• Ofgem shortlists four bidders for £2bn offshore wind links
• National Grid and SSEN agree joint venture for UK’s largest ever transmission project
• Cable installation completed for 759MW Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm

July 2023

• Masdar to buy into Iberdrola offshore wind farm set to power Amazon 26 July 2023
• Iberdola secures €500m loan for 1.4GW UK offshore wind farm 26 July 2023
• TotalEnergies takes control of developer Total Eren in €1.5 billion deal 25 July 2023
• Octopus Energy eyes $20 billion offshore wind investment by 2030 24 July 2023
• Rhode Island utility rejects Revolution Wind 2 on cost grounds 19 July 2023
• MingYang commissions 16MW offshore wind turbine with 260-metre rotor 18 July 2023
• ACWA Power agrees land deal for giant 10GW wind project in Egypt 18 July 2023 
• PNE boosts AI-supported technology capability with Bitblom investment 17 July 2023
• Portugal to tender 3.5GW of offshore wind this year 17 July 2023
• UK court dismisses legal challenge against Iberdrola’s East Anglia offshore wind hub 17 July 2023

June 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (1 June 2023)

• Onshore construction work starts at Poland’s 1.2GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm
• Hitachi to supply HVDC tech for 3GW SunZia project in the US
• Tennet awards Heerema and Allseas offshore converter transport and installation contracts
• Seatrium wins Empire Wind offshore substation platform deals

May 2023

• NKT to invest in new Swedish factory and cable-laying vessel 30 May 2023
• Tennet awards final cable contracts for Dutch and German offshore grid connections 5 May 2023

May 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (4 May 2023)

• Leaders pledge support to deliver meshed offshore grids for Europe
• Japanese firm plans cable factory in Scotland to meet wind demand
• Tennet unveils ambitious plan for DC superhighways and energy hubs
• Consortium secures €7 billion German North Sea HVDC substation platform contract
• New Jersey eyes grid boost to handle extra offshore wind

April 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (6 April 2023)

• Grid link for Hollandse Kust Noord offshore project complete
• Terna plans hypergrid to integrate more renewables
• NKT awarded HVDC cable supply contract for UK’s Hornsea 3
• German grid operators plan €128 billion extra investment to integrate wind
• Tennet awards €23 billion HVDC offshore grid contracts in Dutch and German North Sea

March 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (9 March 2023)

• Tennet awards multi-billion contracts to connect 10GW of Dutch offshore wind
• Germany unveils interconnector plans for North Sea offshore wind
• UK spending watchdog: Lack of grid expansion plan ‘threatens climate goals’
• Industry concern over proposed EU phase-out of gas for grid-critical switchgear
• New York state approves transmission projects to reduce renewable energy bottlenecks
• New Mexico–Arizona transmission line inches closer to approval

February 2023 – Grids & Transmission Bulletin (9 February 2023)

• Hitachi wins order to connect Polish offshore wind farms to grid
• New England states bank on funding for joint offshore wind transmission projects
• Victoria’s offshore projects ‘at risk’ from transmission capacity crunch

January 2023

• Germany boosts onshore wind price cap for 2023 tenders 3 January 2023

November 2022

• India and Denmark collaborate on plan for 15 offshore wind sites 24 November 2022
• Wind industry calls for urgent last-minute change to emergency measures on project permitting 23 November 22
• Vestas expands blade supply partnership with TPI Composites 23 November 2022
• Irish wind industry fears investor flight after operators hit with cap on revenues 23 November 2022
• US announces $13bn to ease grid bottlenecks 21 November 2022
• Dutch 21GW ambition needs policy shift or offshore profits will plummet, report warns 18 November 2022
• RWE to pay municipalities voluntary climate bonus for all its wind farms in Germany 17 November 22
• US consults on eight draft offshore wind areas off central Atlantic coast 17 November 22
• Seagreen offshore wind delays hit SSE Renewables profits but pipeline tops 10GW 16 November 2022
• Investor confidence dented after ‘illegal interventions’ by some EU members 16 November 2022

October 2022

• Australian offshore wind ‘supercharged’ in Victoria as billions pledged to fast-track projects 21 October 2022
• Pre-feed study for 1.2GW Estonian offshore wind farm underway 20 October 2022
• Vena Energy moves forward with 2GW offshore wind plan in Victoria 20 October 2022
• Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala boosts offshore wind assets with stake in Skyborn 19 October 2022
• Goldwind turbine ‘breaks world record for largest rotor diameter’, Chinese media reports 19 October 2022
• Polish power company moves forward with planned O&M base 19 October 2022
• Siemens Gamesa signs 1GW supply deal for 14MW turbine in Taiwan 19 October 2022
• Coalition calls for better marine planning to speed up offshore wind and protect nature
• 19 October 2022
• Wind and solar PPA prices surge as demand grows during energy crisis
• 18 October 2022
• Monopile installation kicks off early for Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm 18 October 2022
• Green hydrogen boom will drive offshore wind in Latin America to 34GW by 2050 18 October 2022
• Siemens Gamesa chief calls for EU turbine quota to protect industry from ‘unfair’ Chinese competition 17 October 2022
• BayWa applies for seabed licence for 600MW Portuguese floating wind project 17 October 2022
• Vårgrønn takes 20% stake in Dogger Bank 17 October 2022

September 2022

• OX2 moves forward with 10GW offshore wind plans in Finland 30 September 2022
• Enercon installs first EP3 turbine with E-nacelle technology at Dutch wind farm 30 September 2022
• Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa to cut almost 3,000 jobs globally 29 September 2022
• Nordex secures type certification for uprated onshore wind turbines 29 September 2022
• Industry voices concerns as onshore wind in Norway faces new taxes from 2023 29 September 2022
• Faster permitting proposals for US energy projects dropped after Senate backlash 28 September 2022
• GE reaches nearly 2GW for 2.7-132 turbine orders in India 28 September 2022
• Vestas 15MW turbines selected for 1.1GW Inch Cape UK offshore wind project 28 September 2022
• Masdar and RWE to target key offshore wind markets 28 September 2022
• Marine services firm Bourbon launches dedicated offshore wind division 28 September 2022
• New technologies promise to speed up offshore wind installation and floating maintenance 27 September 2022
• RES sells three wind farms in Sweden 27 September 2022
• WindEnergy Hamburg: Wind industry leaders demand ‘decisive action’ from politicians 27 September 2022
• Vestas targets German wind market with ‘world’s tallest onshore tower’ 27 September 2022
• Corio and Q-Energy team up to explore floating wind in Spain 27 September 2022
• Vattenfall works on climbing crane solution for onshore wind farms 26 September 2022
• Siemens Gamesa demands Europe-wide action to safeguard wind industry 26 September 2022
• Simply Blue seeks new floating wind partner as Shell exits Irish projects 26 September 2022
• Vestas named preferred supplier for 1.2GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm in Poland 26 September 2022
• Vestas secures V162 order for German onshore wind farm repowering project 26 September 2022

July 2022

• Australian port plans major wind farm hub in Victoria 15 July 2022
• Wind costs continue to fall as competitiveness over fossil fuels strengthens – Irena 14 July 2022
• Finland grants seabed leases for 2GW of offshore wind farms 14 July 2022
• GE rare earths supply MoU for turbines kick-starts Australia-US alliance on clean energy 13 July 2022
• Cadeler secures multi-million vessel deal for East Anglia Hub offshore project 13 July 2022
• Nordex turbine supply agreement for leading German wind developer extended 13 July 2022
• Hitachi provides transformer and switchgear for China offshore project 12 July 2022
• German offshore wind groups warn of system failure and ‘fundamental mistakes’ 12 July 2022
• Northland boosts economics for 1GW+ Taiwan offshore project with high-rate CPPA 12 July 2022
• Nordex to raise €212 million from rights issue as short-term headwinds bite 11 July 2022
• Onshore wind breakthrough as Germany green lights 10GW a year from 2025 11 July 2022

June 2022

• RenewableUK appoints first head of offshore wind 22 June 2022
• India needs $223 billion to meet 2030 renewables targets
• 22 June 2022
• CfD reform could attract £175bn in wind investment 22 June 2022
• Global offshore wind pipeline doubles 21 June 2022
• Nordex confirms 2022 loss forecast as war and supply chain disruptions take toll 21 June 2022
• Record offshore wind activity but injury rate low – report 20 June 2022
• Ukraine war prompts Finnish military to block wind projects 20 June 2022
• RWE and Commerzbank plan 1GW offshore wind with new German fund 20 June 2022
• Vattenfall buys majority share in 2.8GW of Swedish floating wind projects 20 June 2022

May 2022

• Muirhall Energy seeks green light for one of UK’s largest onshore wind farms 31 May 2022
• Nordex marks milestone with first installation of 6MW onshore wind turbine 18 May 2022

April 2022

• Wpd and Lhyfe plan gigawatt-scale offshore wind-green hydrogen off Sweden 8 April 2022
• UK banks on offshore wind for energy security 7 April 2022
• Orsted becomes majority owner of 100MW Salamander floating wind project 6 April 2022
• Wind turbine maker Nordex shuts down systems as cyber attack hits 4 April 2022
• Global Wind Energy Council report: rethink ‘perverse’ market or risk net zero goals 4 April 2022

March 2022

• GE Renewable Energy investigates second Cypress wind turbine failure in two months 16 March 2022
• Equinor and BP proceed with offshore wind port at Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal 4 March 2022
• Victoria state government hails first minimum targets for wind in 9GW drive 4 March 2022
• Macquarie’s GIG sells Formosa I offshore wind farm stake and announces new venture 4 March 2022
• Major wind industry players halt new Russian investments  3 March 2022
• Wind stocks surge as Europe acts to bolster energy security 2 March 2022

February 2022

• Nordex to discontinue blade production at Rostock plant from June 28 February 2022
• Van Oord and Kajima selected as preferred balance of plant contractors for 1.7GW in Japan 28 February 2022
• Interview: 15 Minutes with Siemens Gamesa wind power service CEO Juan Gutierrez 18 February 2022
• WFO: China drives record growth year for offshore wind 17 February 2022
• Nordex launches probe into wind turbine collapse in Wales 16 February 2022
• Go-ahead for Vattenfall’s 3.6GW Norfolk offshore wind zone 11 February 2022
• Siemens Gamesa lays off 190 workers at US factories 11 February 2022
• RWE moves forward on 350MW Polish offshore wind 11 February 2022

January 2022

• CIP backs $3 billion Chilean onshore wind-to-green hydrogen project 17 January 2022
• Wind energy ‘needs to grow faster’ to keep up with rising demand — IEA 17 January 2022
• Ørsted buys stake in large-scale onshore wind-powered e-methanol project in Sweden 12 January 2022
• Pattern Energy commissions 1GW New Mexico onshore wind farm 6 January 2022
• Plans approved for South Korean 1.5GW floating offshore wind and energy storage project 6 January 2022
• Nordex secures 380MW onshore wind turbine order in Finland 4 January 2022

December 2021

• AES acquires 612MW New York onshore wind portfolio from Carlyle Group 8 December 2021
• Tower factory deal cements UK’s Port of nigg as strategic offshore wind hub 3 December 2021
• New Japanese owner and Nordex turbines for 300MW wind farm in Texas 3 December 2021
• SSE and Equinor reach financial close for 1.2GW Dogger Bank C offshore project 2 December 2021
• New joint venture plans 1GW of onshore wind in Ireland 2 December 2021
• European Commission approves state aid for French offshore wind farm 1 December 2021
• RWE wins coveted 1GW Thor offshore wind lottery 1 December 2021
• TetraSpar floating offshore wind demonstrator starts test phase off Norwegian Coast 1 December 2021
• Consultation opens on 300MW Danish offshore wind farm 1 December 2021

November 2021

• Floating offshore wind power makes headway in South Korea 30 November 2021
• Vestas conforms cyber security incident was ransomware attack 29 November 2021
• RWE and Iberdrola snatch German offshore wind projects away from zero-subsidy winners 5 November 2021