Essential protection for wind energy - London Array
With over 40 years’ experience in the offshore wind energy industry, AkzoNobel and our extensive International® product range have provided essential protection to some of the world’s most exciting offshore wind developments, one being London Array.
With its 175 wind turbines standing taller than the London Eye at 87 meters and covering an offshore area of 100km², London Array, situated in the outer Thames Estuary, upon completion was the second largest offshore wind farm in the world and the largest wind farm in Europe by megawatt capacity (630MW). The size and location of the farm created challenges as the turbines themselves are located across two sand banks with varying conditions.
This case study is an example of how AkzoNobel connects the dots by combining its capabilities in providing specialised wind asset protection, with its extensive portfolio of reliable partners, and technical expertise.
Waves as high as 20 meters
The Challenge
This development is also prone to harsh offshore weather conditions and therefore needed an extremely robust and high performing protective coatings solution. The location has a particularly aggressive splash-zone environment and the physical demands placed on the steel require a high level of protection.
Wind farms such as London Array work by harvesting the natural energy present when the wind blows and then using it to generate clean, renewable electricity. This impressive wind farm development produces enough power for nearly half a million UK homes a year, including two-thirds of the homes in Kent, South East England.
Winds in excess of 200 km/h
Our products
The Interzone® 954 and Interthane® 990 coatings from our International® brand are making sure that London Array’s transition pieces are kept in optimum condition, providing essential corrosion protection and long term structural integrity. The robustness and ease of application of Interzone 954 makes it ideally suited for offshore wind turbine transition pieces with proven in field performance. It is a preferred choice globally and has been used across a large number of projects.
Aggressive splash-zone environment
The results
“Since AkzoNobel has extensive experience coating offshore assets, we felt confident in providing products that could cope with the demands placed on steel in these conditions,” said Adam Stephenson, AkzoNobel’s Sales Cluster Manager for UK, Ireland, and Benelux.
“For this specific project, we worked closely with Bladt Industries, who are one of the world’s leading suppliers of Transition Pieces (TPs). They have chosen and still continue to choose our proven products to provide the London Array and other offshore wind energy projects with long term protection.
AkzoNobel is working to ultimately connect the dots of the industry through technical expertise and tip-to-toe solutions, and as a company, we are proud to have supplied protective coatings for this project. Our extensive work in the offshore wind energy market also includes wind farms Alpha Ventus, Greater Gabbard, Beatrice, Hornsea, and Ormonde, a 150MW installation in the Irish Sea.”
With an unparalleled view of the industry, AkzoNobel brings its expertise to every part of your wind energy assets, as seen with the London Array project. We will guide you from protective coating selection to application, techniques and beyond.
Contact us
We are here to help
Our global team of technical and sales experts are available to provide you with the help and support that you need.
