LDA chooses power systems for second SOV

The 83m service operation vessel (SOV), the second in the LDA fleet, will deploy ABB’s Onboard DC Grid power distribution system to manage power from multiple sources including the vessel’s engines and battery packs. The delivery will also include ABB tunnel thrusters, generators, transformers and batteries.

Hervé Lapierre, head of newbuilding, LDA, said: “Wind farm service requirements are still evolving, meaning that SOVs built for this market, in addition to being cost-effective, need to also be innovative and flexible.”

Power from the dual battery packs onboard will be introduced through the Onboard DC Grid to maximise efficiency. DC distribution also means that equipment sensor data can be transmitted between systems instantly, allowing for real-time monitoring and optimisation by bridge or shore-based systems.

ABB will also provide its Octopus marine advisory system and Remote Diagnostics Services. ABB’s Power and Energy Management System will allow battery power to act as backup for running generators, cutting the need to run spare capacity and reducing maintenance and fuel consumption in the long-term.

The vessel, designed by Salt Ship Design, will be built at Turkey’s Cemre shipyard. The vessel will support operations at Hornsea Project Two off the UK coast, which will become the world’s biggest wind farm capable when it is completed in 2022.

A previous vessel, ordered in 2017, was also equipped with ABB solutions and chartered by Danish energy company Ørsted.