The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy “doubles down” on the government’s commitment frontier clean energy industries. With offshore wind poised for significant growth, Paul Cairns, CEO of Charge Offshore, calls on wind farm developers to support sustainable, decarbonised expansion by ramping up industry-wide, collaborative efforts to electrify operations and maintenance fleets.
“The UK government’s latest Industrial Strategy provides unprecedented support for clean energy growth, notably the £1 billion Clean Energy Supply Chain Fund under Great British Energy, including £300 million dedicated to offshore wind supply chains and a £544 million Clean Industry Bonus for offshore wind developers.
“Offshore power is essential for transitioning to a low-carbon energy system, and the UK’s latest industrial strategy signifies the nation’s commitment to supporting growth in the sector and accelerating progress towards a net zero economy.
“However, one key aspect of the offshore supply chain still presents an ongoing challenge as the sector prepares for accelerated expansion: operations and maintenance (O&M) fleets. O&M vessels provide essential support services for wind farm maintenance, modification and construction, but are still largely reliant on marine gas oil (MGO) to operate. A new approach, then, is needed to put an end to the industry’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“Electrifying O&M fleets offers a cost-effective, long-term for remedy for sustainable wind farm operations, and advances in available technologies means this solution has become more economically attractive than ever. The gap in capital expenditure (CAPEX) between electric and diesel vessels is narrowing rapidly, while a fall in operational expenditure (OPEX) is even more encouraging. Electric vessels avoid volatile fuel costs and benefit from lower maintenance demands due to fewer moving parts. In fact, electric SOVs on long-term charters can see annual savings in energy costs alone approaching £1 million, while CTVs are close behind, with breakeven OPEX expected as early as 2027.
“But how do we achieve the mass-scale adoption of electrified O&M fleets required to realise their full economic potential? The good news is that two of the three critical components for vessel electrification are already in place: First, electric crew transfer vessels (CTVs) and service operation vessels (SOVs) are now commercially available; second, battery technology has matured significantly to a point where doubts over price and energy capacity are swiftly becoming a thing of this past and marine battery costs are rapidly reducing year on year as commercial uptake accelerates and more suppliers enter the market
“The third and final piece of the puzzle, offshore charging, is now all that’s needed to achieve scale. By integrating charging technology into new wind farm projects, O&M fleets can be powered and charged directly by turbines or substations without the need for returning to shore. This will allow developers to eliminate Scope 1 emissions from fleet operations entirely, decouple from volatile oil markets, and reduce long-term operating costs linked to fuel prices and maintenance.
“By designing advanced charging systems into new wind farm developments now, the industry can leapfrog the incremental approach to deliver scalable, emissions-free marine operations to support the industry’s rapid expansion.
“With the technology ready and the funding aligned, industry leaders now have a clear path to complete the transition to low carbon O&M solutions. Developers, OEMs, port authorities, grid operators and policymakers have the opportunity to work together in a coordinated effort to roll out vessel electrification, and to ultimately facilitate the long-term, economically sustainable, decarbonisation of the offshore sector as it expands.
