COWI USA will lead a team in helping Santee Cooper select the appropriate anemometry equipment, platform, and foundation for an offshore meteorological tower. Phase I of the project includes an alternative analysis and concept design for the wind data collection system. The design will consider cost, bankability of data, system dependability, ease of installation, and environmental considerations. Phase I is scheduled to be completed in February 2010.
Santee Cooper cited several reasons for choosing COWI for this important first step. “COWI brings substantial coastal and marine engineering experience to us, they have completed a significant number of similar-quality projects, and they have a strong understanding of our project goals,” said Marc Tye, Santee Cooper vice president of conservation and renewable energy.
"As there are currently no operating offshore wind farms in the US, this project is a unique opportunity for COWI USA to bring our company's worldwide offshore wind experience to Santee Cooper in order to help move forward with this important renewable energy resource," noted COWI USA President Stanley M. White, P.E. "While there are many challenges with installing an offshore meteorological tower, the COWI USA team has the experience to work with Santee Cooper to make the project a success."
COWI USA is part of the COWI Group based in Lyngby, Denmark. COWI has promoted wind energy since 1980, in numerous countries around the world and has extensive experience with offshore wind farm development www.cowi.com/menu/services/transport/portsandmarinestructures/offshorewindturbinefoundations/. The COWI Group is an international consulting company with subsidiaries in more than 40 countries and over 6,000 employees.
COWI USA includes subsidiaries Ocean and Coastal Consultants, Inc., (Trumbull, CT) who will serve as this project’s program manager, and Ben C. Gerwick, Inc. (San Francisco, CA) who will provide offshore foundation and construction expertise. The COWI USA team also includes: AWS Truewind, LLC (Albany, NY) for wind data acquisition expertise and Newkirk Environmental, Inc. (Mount Pleasant, SC) for environmental and regulatory assessment. COWI A/S (Lyngby, Denmark), one of the most successful offshore wind farm foundation design firms in the world, will provide technical expertise to the team on all phases of the project.
Future phases of the Palmetto Wind Research Project will include construction, permitting, and installing an offshore platform and data gathering equipment, followed by data collection and analysis.
COWI USA was formed in 2007 to unite the expertise of COWI A/S, Ocean and Coastal Consultants, and Ben C. Gerwick. COWI USA provides offshore, waterfront and coastal engineering services to a wide variety of clients including utilities, the Federal government, municipalities, transshipment terminals and the private sector. Through its Ocean and Coastal Consultants and Ben C. Gerwick subsidiaries, COWI USA has offices throughout the United States including: Trumbull, CT; San Francisco and Oakland, CA; Gibbsboro, NJ; Plymouth, MA; New Orleans, LA; Houston, TX; and Seattle, WA. Ben C. Gerwick (BCG) has over 80 years of experience in offshore structure foundation design and construction. Ocean and Coastal Consultants (OCC) was founded in 1983 and provides specialized engineering solutions for waterfront projects including underwater investigations, dredging engineering, coastal assessments and structural rehabilitation. OCC will have a key technical and management role in the project which will include the foundation conceptual design, development of the design wave climate, permitting assistance, cost estimating, and the overall management of the project. BCG will provide the team with deep foundation expertise for pile design, including geotechnical investigation programs.
AWS Truewind, (AWS) has been a leader in supporting the renewable energy market, both onshore and offshore, for more than 25 years. AWS is an innovator in the development of strategic software, advanced atmospheric modeling and data analysis. AWS's commitment to quality and innovation has made it one of the world's most respected wind energy services company. AWS's service offerings span the full life cycle of the project and include wind resource assessment, wind mapping and micrositing, project design and analysis, wind technology assessments, energy production prediction, engineering review and due diligence, financial analysis, short-term production forecasting, and plant performance assessment. AWS will be the team leader for the data collection and wind assessment of the project and will assist with cost estimating and construction of the data collection systems.
Newkirk Environmental, LLC (Newkirk) is a South Carolina-based environmental consulting firm devoted exclusively to environmental services in the areas of environmental surveying and permitting in addition to environmental and development planning and consulting. Newkirk has a proven capability of providing a broad spectrum of clients with professional consulting services and is recognized throughout the Southeast as an authority on environmental regulations and permitting. With a home office in Charleston, SC and an additional office in Bluffton, SC, Newkirk is locally positioned to handle projects throughout the Southeast. Newkirk will be the team leader for the environmental and regulatory assessment.
Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility, and the state’s largest power producer, supplying electricity to more than 163,000 retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry counties, as well as to 29 large industrial facilities, the cities of Bamberg and Georgetown, and the Charleston Air Force Base. Santee Cooper also generates the power distributed by the state’s 20 electric cooperatives to more than 700,000 customers in all 46 counties. Approximately 2 million South Carolinians receive their power directly or indirectly from Santee Cooper. The utility also provides water to 137,000 consumers in Berkeley and Dorchester counties, and the town of Santee. For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com.
For additional information please contact: Mollie Gore, Santee Cooper
Corporate Communications, 843-761-7093 or mrgore@santeecooper.com, or
Stanley M. White, P.E., President, COWI USA, Inc. at 203-268-5007 or
stwh@cowi.com
Santee Cooper Selects COWI USA as Offshore Meteorological Tower Consultant
