Powering barge hydraulics at an offshore wind farm

Approximately 35 nautical miles from mainland Massachusetts, the first full‑scale offshore wind project in the US will be capable of generating 800 MW of renewable power once it goes online – almost 30% more energy than a typical coal plant. A Dutch company specializing in offshore installations was commissioned to help install the wind farm.

They use hydraulic technology for motion compensation on their customer’s barges, allowing for smoother, safer, and more efficient offshore installation, while also opting for lower emissions to align with the greener goals of building a wind project. As space on the barges was at a premium, this meant they needed to choose power generation equipment that was not only reliable, but could also easily fit on each barge.

We have supplied power solutions for stabilizing the wind turbine components unloaded from the two barges, aiding offshore wind farm installation. Our equipment includes four 1.2 MW Tier 4F diesel generators per barge to power the hydraulic power units (HPUs). Tier 4F is the newest Aggreko generator, with lower 94% emissions to suit green initiatives.

Each barge has an identical setup, with two generators per HPU. This choice of four 1.2 MW twin-pack generators, instead of five 1.5 MW ones, ensures redundancy and much-needed saved space. Our engineers are on hand to help collaborate on the installation. This setup will be operational on the barges for at least a year, potentially extending to two years or more based on the project scope.

Thanks to our power generation solutions, the customer is able to stabilize the turbine components unloaded from the vessels for easier installation at the wind farm. Using the new Tier 4F diesel generators from our Greener Upgrades initiative also yields two major additional advantages for the customer.

Firstly, Tier 4F diesel generators are designed to reduce carbon and other regulated emissions compared to regular diesel generators, making them a fitting solution for greener technology. Secondly, the generator units are set up in twin-packs, providing the customer with a level of inherent redundancy in one box while saving vital space on the barges.