Aimed to go online by 2026, Erebus Wind Farm is the first project that can power 90,000 homes with wind power–all from floating platforms.
The Erebus Wind Farm, located 45 km off the Pembrokeshire coastline, will be the largest floating offshore wind farm when fully operational in the Celtic Sea near the Welsh coast.
The project is in the Celtic Sea, in Welsh waters, and increases momentum for local supply chain opportunities for floating wind capacity in the 2030s. The project, for now, is considered a ‘demonstration project,’ which will pave the way for larger floating farms in the third decade of the third millennium.
HMS Erebus sank in an 1848 expedition while charting the last undiscovered Arctic passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
HMS Erebus is the namesake of Project Erebus. When the project finally goes commercial in 2026, that would coincidentally be 200 years from the official launch of HMS Erebus in 1826.
Where is the Erebus wind farm?
Erebus is located in the Celtic Sea, between Ireland and Wales, and part of Welsh waters. It will connect to the Pembrokeshire Substation and the National Grid.
Based on studies, the Celtic Sea winds can produce up to 50 GW of offshore wind power. Despite the 44 km distance from the coast, the water depths can reach 75 meters, making it an ideal location for harnessing wind energy using a floating foundation wind turbine.
The project is significant as it is the first floating offshore wind project in Wales awarded by the Crown Estate and will be a crucial contributor to wind energy in the UK.
Who owns the Erebus Offshore Wind Farm?
In 2020, The Crown Estate granted Blue Gem Wind the seabed exploration rites. Blue Gem Wind is a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Simply Blue energy. Total owns 80% of the project, while Simply Blue Energy owns 20%. Estimates project the cost of the wind farm to reach $478 million.
Seabed rights are critical as they provide Blue Gem wind with the ability to perform essential work. This includes the surveys required for the environmental permits, checking the seabed for marine life that will be affected, seeking planning consent, and assessing connection to the grid.
The expertise of the Simply Blue group is in floating technologies. At the same time, TotalEnergies has deep experience in large, complex offshore projects. This synergy translates not just in the current project but also in the portfolio of the two companies.
TotalEnergies has around 3GW of floating offshore projects in development, while Simply Blue Group has 5 GW of offshore wind. The JV allows them to combine their pipelines for greater leverage in developing projects.
How does the Erebus Wind Farm project compare to other wind farms in the UK?
Erebus is a single-phase demonstration project covering 42 square kilometers of the seabed and marine space. It will produce 96 MW of wind power.
There already are 8.5 GW of installed capacity from offshore wind in the UK, so adding the 96 MW from Erebus won’t be a lot. But the project’s significance is that it is the first project in the area to unlock the 4 GW potential of floating offshore wind energy in the Celtic sea.
The projects that can jumpstart after this project via the learnings and supply chain opportunities are tremendous for the renewable energy future of the UK.
When is the first power of the Erebus wind farm project?
The first power is not yet determined, as the project is still in the application phase. Recent estimates believe Erebus will go online in 2026, 200 years after HMS Erebus sank.
Is it a fixed or floating foundation?
The Erebus floating wind farm will be the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm. The floating turbine technology platform is suitable to handle different turbine sizes, which will help the project optimize its turbines.
The wind farm will use the innovative WindFloat technology of Principle Power Inc. Their goal is to identify and address supply chain issues in this project to learn and improve on future projects.
Given the development of offshore technologies, Principle Power follows a stepping stone approach that will allow the technology to mature and industrialize further. Erebus will see to this process, which will employ the full industrialized floating technologies from Principle Power.
How much total energy will this produce?
The project in the Welsh Waters has 96 MW of installed capacity and can power up to 90,000 homes annually.
Erebus Wind Farm Turbines
Developers have to choose turbines that will effectively deliver the 95 MW power rating and be suitable for floating offshore wind installation.
How many turbines?
There will be 7 to 10 turbines in Erebus Wind Farm.
How many turbines per phase?
Erebus is a one-phase project so all turbines will be installed at once.
Who makes the turbines?
Blue Gem Wind will determine the manufacturer of the turbines during the development process. Vestas is rumored to be the preferred turbine manufacturer.
What is the turbine model?
Blue Gem Wind will determine the turbine model during the development process, though it seems the Vestas V164-9.5 MW turbines are preferred.
How much MW per turbine?
The project is estimated to have 7 to 10 turbines, which will require a 9 to 14 MW turbine capacity. This will achieve the 95 MW capacity.
Is the Erebus project the largest floating wind farm in the world?
It will beat the Kincardine Wind Farm, which holds an installed capacity of 50 MW by the time it operates. Kincardine also used the WindFloat floating platform from Principle power.
Erebus will also trump Equinor’s Hywind Wind Farm, rated at 95 MW, by a slight margin.
Expansion plans
Developing the project further would depend on the success of this endeavor.
It is good to note that the WindFloat technology from Principle Power is improving its efficiency this 2022, based on learnings from earlier projects.
The success and expansion of future projects will depend on how fast the companies involved will shorten the time to final investment decision, improve work between contractor and suppliers, and assess projects based on the entire life cycle. All this leads to the complete industrialization of floating wind projects and the fulfillment of offshore wind potential.
If successful, we will see the more floating offshore wind in the coming years at a grander scale.