Offshore-wind Helo Ops Pick Up Slack from Oil and Gas
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While the offshore oil-and-gas segment looks to recover from
its current slump, offshore-wind helicopter operations are increasingly
gaining interest from the rotorcraft industry, according to Milestone
Aviation Group. The helicopter lessor noted that offshore wind is expected to
grow at a compound annual rate of approximately 25 percent, leading some
experts to predict that, by the end of the century, the energy supply mix
will likely be split equally between fossil fuels and renewables.
Last year, Europe alone added 560
new offshore wind turbines, and those operators have realized that
helicopters are the most efficient method of bringing maintenance crews to
them. Typically those flights require highly skilled pilots to hover their
helicopter above the turbine platform and lower the technicians and cargo.
With the height of the wind turbine blade tips and average wind speeds of
more than 25 knots, such missions can be challenging.
Danish helicopter operator Uni-Fly
has conducted more than 50,000 of these missions to date. The company, in
partnership with CHC, was selected to provide offshore service for Hornsea
Project One, a 174–turbine farm under construction off the coast of the UK.
When completed in 2021, this wind farm will provide enough energy to power
one million homes.
A helicopter that is well-suited
to the specialized requirements of offshore wind servicing is the Leonardo
Helicopters AW169, of which Milestone is the world’s largest owner. Uni-Fly
currently operates two of the medium twins provided by the leasing company.
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