Offshore Wind Powers Electric Vessels

• Published date: 22 June 2022
• Subject Matter: Transport, Marine/ Shipping
• Law Firm: Reed Smith (Worldwide)
• Author: Antonia Panayides

This summer is set to see the world's first offshore charging points for electric vessels. These will be built and installed on the Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms, situated off the Lincolnshire coast comprising 54 turbines and a capacity of 194 megawatts.

The project of installing the charging points is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and has funding from the UK Department for Transport. The project aims to use an existing wind farm, along with its infrastructure, to trial electric charge points on wind turbine pillars in order to provide renewable energy to crew transfer vessels ('CTV'), which are used to maintain and operate offshore wind farms.

How does it work? As an electric CTV ('eCTV') connects with the wind turbine, a cable will lower down and attach an electrical charge to the vessel and charge the vessel's battery.

The offshore wind industry is expanding and the increase of electrical charging points for offshore support vessels will encourage vessel...