Since the Ukraine war, the explosions of the Nordstream gas pipelines and revelations of Russian ship activity around critical infrastructure in Danish internal waters, there can no longer be much doubt about the need for more security.
This is something that is also felt at Semco Maritime, where Senior Vice President Mogens Tyllesen is Division Manager for the entire area of product technology. In addition to offshore firefighting and telecommunications, which are already business areas, the Ukraine war has increased interest in monitoring from wind turbines on a global scale.
- We are already experiencing increased demand, says Mogens Tyllesen, who has brought his professional employees in the field to the WindEurope Annual Event 2023 at the Bella Centret.
- It started even before all this with Russia and Ukraine. The offshore wind turbines shadow the coastal radars, which is why so-called gap-filing radars are being installed on the wind turbines. That part is nothing new, explains Per Holgersen, who is business development manager in the area at Semco Maritime.
However, there is something else that is new.
- We know that radar is being installed on the upcoming offshore wind farm in Taiwan Hai Long, and the radar happens to point towards China, explains Per Holgersen.
More security in Poland too
However, it is not only in the Far East that a new development has begun to take place.
- We are already building two substations for the Polish offshore wind farm Baltic Power, says Per Holgersen and passes the floor to project manager Søren Bo Pedersen for an even more thorough explanation.
- On the entire Polish coast, there will only be a few corridors where ships can sail in and out, explains Søren Bo Pedersen.
The Polish defense is already looking at this radar for the wind turbines to be able to monitor off the offshore wind farm. It doesn't stop there, though.
- They are also looking at some very sophisticated cameras that can zoom. And they are already talking about sonar and even upward air surveillance that can detect both aircraft and drones, says Søren Bo Pedersen.
Semco Maritime is already in the tender for the radars for Baltic Power, and you can clearly feel something in the company.
- It is an area that has our customers' attention, but it is also expensive to install. However, the establishment cost is far less than if a wind farm is shut down, says Søren Bo Pedersen, who estimates that it is only a matter of time before more people start protecting the farms.
Here there is also the possibility of setting up so-called scramblers.
- The vast majority of drones head towards the ground when contact with the control is interrupted by scrambling, explains Søren Bo Pedersen.
Radar on Danish installations
But there are already radars offshore in Denmark too.
- There are already radars on many Danish offshore installations. Until now, they have been supplied by the Danish defence, he says about an area that Semco Maritime is ready to bid for, says the project manager with a justification:
- We are among the frontrunners in offshore telecommunications.
Even if the existing Danish offshore wind farms are to have increased safety with radar, there are possibilities.
- If there is a radar on a turbine, then a platform has been made on the turbine from the time the turbine is new. Otherwise, it must be at the substation, where there is space.
A more peaceful use of radars is already underway in Taiwan as well.
- In Taiwan, there is an authority requirement for a bird monitor system with a 360-degree radar with a camera. We are talking about a camera that can determine which types of birds are flying in. There is then a shut down system that can shut down a whole series of wind turbines. It is also on the way in the USA, says Søren Bo Pedersen about areas where both east and west are ahead of the European continent.
Semco Maritime's SVP Mogens Tyllesen is ready to offer security around wind turbines, from physical monitoring to cybersecurity, together with business development manager Per Holgersen and project manager Søren Bo Pedersen. Photo: Jesper Ernlund Lassen
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
