Renewable Energy World - May/June 2016

Installation techniques, personnel transfer, risk management and of course safety, are all areas where companies can use their oil and gas experience for the beneft of offshore wind operations. And as companies build experience in installing and operating offshore wind farms, there is now technology transfer back to oil and gas, not least as a result of the innovation that has been driven by the need to reduce the cost of electricity from offshore wind as the sector matures.

DONG Energy’s roots can be found elsewhere in the energy sector with its history established in managing oil and gas resources in the Danish sector of the North Sea, providing many years of experience in working offshore. This heritage of working out at sea in some of the most challeng-ing and inhospitable conditions has been key to the growth of the company’s offshore wind business, with knowledge, Our company was formed in 2002 to bring specialist skills and technologies from the offshore construction industry, particularly oil and gas, into the emerging offshore wind sector. That exchange of knowledge and experience has been highly successful and in 2006 we went on to develop SeaPlanner, having recognized the need for a reliable, integrated system that improves operational effciency and safety offshore.

In high-risk environments, such as oil and gas and off-
shore wind construction, safety, security, and asset risk
management is of the highest priority so the ability to
access data from a variety of sources to bring complete,
real-time visibility of site operations is important
In December 2015, SeaPlanner was selected by ener-
gy giant DONG Energy as the provider for personnel management, vessel and
helicopter tracking and communications system for its UK offshore wind farm
portfolio including far offshore Round 3 sites. Utilizing this technology allows
DONG Energy to closely monitor its sites from a central location, ensuring the
highest level of safety and optimal project effciency at all times.

So this technology, the concept of which was born in the oil & gas sector, is now serving the latest generation of offshore wind projects and other marine sectors around the world.