26/11/2020 | Offshore wind

Offshore wind industry provides funding for new technology to mitigate air defence radar issues

26 November 2020 - RenewableUK press release


The offshore wind industry is providing millions of pounds in new funding for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to test innovative technology. The aim is to identify solutions which will allow more offshore projects to be built in areas where deployment has previously been blocked due to impacts on MOD air defence radar.


As part of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) and the Government are working together to overcome technical challenges faced by offshore wind deployment in the UK. One of the workstreams is focussing on mitigating the impact of wind farms on air defence radar systems. Progress on this will help to deliver the Government’s target of 40 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030.


The new agreement secures wind industry funding for the MOD to test a series of mitigation concepts and technologies, including various types of new radars which show potential to distinguish between wind turbines and aircraft in a far more sophisticated way than before. This could unlock a significant pipeline of new offshore wind farm sites, enabling the industry to take a major step towards meeting the UK’s net zero emissions target.


The first demonstrations of the new concepts will take place this year, with preliminary results expected to be published in the first half of 2021.  


The funding will also be used to appoint a senior Royal Air Force officer to take up a new key role liaising with industry and Government on solutions to aviation issues for the next three years. A Wing Commander Senior Programme Manager will act as Co-Chair of the Joint MOD-OWIC Air Defence Mitigation Task Force and lead this work for the MOD. 


The funds have been provided by OWIC members The Crown Estate, Equinor, Ørsted, RWE Renewables, ScottishPower Renewables, SSE Renewables and Vattenfall Wind Power, with the wind industry funding body, the Aviation Investment Fund Company, also contributing and signing the contract on behalf of the funders with MOD. 


The work builds on previous MOD feasibility studies and is part of a wider work package which aims to deliver an initial Air Defence Mitigation Strategy & Implementation Plan next year to enable the deployment of new offshore wind projects. Follow-on studies are planned for 2021-22 to update the plan. OWIC and the Government are working together to ensure the safety and security needs of civil and defence aviation can be met while maximising the deployment of wind energy. 


Paul Cooley, Director of Capital Projects, SSE Renewables, Co-chair of the OWIC/MOD Aviation Programme Board and OWIC Aviation sponsor said:


“Achieving this key milestone reflects the positive engagement achieved via the joint programme board, with the offshore wind industry, MOD and Government working collaboratively to explore new technical solutions to industry-wide challenges. It’s a great example of how the sector and key stakeholders can work together on the shared objective of delivering the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions”.


Will Apps, Head of Energy Development at The Crown Estate, commented: 

"This innovative demonstration project is a superb example of how Government, the sector and key stakeholders can come together to address shared challenges. We are pleased to be able to support this project as an early action of our Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme, a new five-year programme seeking to support the sustainable and coordinated expansion of offshore wind in the UK, to be launched formally later in the year”.


The Co-chair of the Joint MOD/OWIC Task Force, Wing Commander Helena Ramsden, Air Capability Senior Programme Manager at Headquarters Air Command, Royal Air Force stated:


“We are committed to keeping the skies above the UK safe from aerial threats whilst supporting achievement of the Government’s green energy ambitions.  Working across government and with the wind industry, this unique collaboration marks a major and important step on the journey to overcome the challenges that Air Defence and Offshore Wind pose to one another”.   


Dujon Goncalves-Collins, of Vattenfall Wind Power, OWIC’s Aviation Workstream Lead and Co-chair of Joint MOD-OWIC Task Force said: 


“The goal of this work is to unlock new sites for much-needed renewable energy projects by resolving radar issues comprehensively and as swiftly as possible. To achieve this, I’m looking forward to working closely with the new RAF Co-chair of joint task force and the teams from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and The Crown Estate, along with my colleagues from the Offshore Wind Industry Council”. 


“To meet the Prime Minister’s offshore wind deployment ambitions for 2030 as a key milestone towards the 2050 net zero target, we’ve pulled together an innovative, ambitious and exciting programme of studies and work, much of it already underway and even more being planned, so I’m looking forward to sharing the first fruits of our endeavours next year”.


Anne Mackenzie, Senior Aviation Manager at ScottishPower Renewables and Chair the Aviation Investment Fund Company Limited (AIFCL), commented:


“Providing funding and contracting support for wind industry participation in the Air Defence Concept Demonstration continues AIFCL’s tradition of supporting research and development activities to identify solutions to remove aviation radar as a barrier to deployment of onshore and offshore wind. The mutual benefits to onshore air defence and air traffic control from this offshore programme will play an important role in ensuring that the UK can achieve its net zero ambitions ”.


(ends)


 

Notes


The Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) is a senior Government and industry forum established in 2013 to drive the development of the world-leading offshore wind sector in the UK.  OWIC Sector Deal Aviation Workstream: the Government’s Offshore Wind Sector Deal – One Year Onupdate notes that BEIS continues to address the issues raised by air defence and air traffic control radar through the Aviation Management Board. In parallel, the sector and Ministry of Defence have set up a Joint Windfarm Mitigation Task Force, overseen by a senior executive programme board. Studies have commenced and key activities are planned for 2021/22.


The Crown Estate is a £14bn business with a distinct heritage and unique portfolio. It includes some of central London’s best places to work, shop and spend time, regional retail and leisure destinations, and a substantial rural and coastal portfolio. We manage the seabed and half the foreshore around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and therefore play an active role in the UK’s world-leading offshore energy sector, including foreshore wind, CCUS, marine aggregates, cables and pipelines. We are also responsible for the Windsor Estate, including the world‑renowned Windsor Great Park. Established by an Act of Parliament, as an independent commercial business, we are tasked with returning 100% of our annual profits to the Treasury for the benefit of the public finances. This has totalled £2.9bn over the last ten years.


The Offshore Wind Evidence and Change (OWEC) programme is an ambitious strategic research and data-led programme to facilitate the sustainable and coordinated expansion of offshore wind in the UK.  It is a five-year programme that will play a pivotal role in achieving the environmental aspirations of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal alongside other strategic delivery programmes. OWEC is led by The Crown Estate in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).  It is being delivered in collaboration with organisations with an interest in planning for the future of offshore wind and the underpinning evidence requirements


The Aviation Investment Fund Company Limited(AIFCL) was formed in early 2009 as the wind industry funding body to support the various work streams under the Government’s Aviation Plan overseen by the Aviation Management Board.AIFCL raised over £5m, of which £4m spent to date on variety of projects supporting the Aviation Plan – including the 2013 MOD ATC Technical Demonstration and the 2020 MOD Air Defence Concept Demonstration and Wing Commander reservist post. Current active AIFCL members are ScottishPower Renewables, RES, SSE Renewables, RWE Renewables, Vattenfall, Banks Renewables, EDF, Falck Renewables, Ecotricity, ESB, Engie, EnergieKontor and REG Windpower.


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