Danish renewables giant Ørsted is deploying heavy-lift cargo drones for the first time in an operational campaign at a Dutch offshore wind farm.

The heavy-lift cargo drone will transport cargo from a vessel to all 94 wind turbines at the 752-megawatt (MW) Borssele 1 & 2 offshore wind farm.

After Ørsted trialed heavy-lift drones last year at the UK’s Hornsea 1 offshore wind farm, it’s now using 70 kg (154-pound) drones – which have a wingspan of 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) – to transport cargo weighing up to 100 kg (220 pounds), in an actual operations campaign.

For the Borssele 1 & 2 campaign, Ørsted will update some critical evacuation and safety equipment in each of its offshore wind turbines. Normally, a vessel would sail from one wind turbine to the next, using a crane to lift each box containing the equipment onto the transition piece, after which the box would be lifted with the nacelle’s crane to reach the nacelle and then be moved to the top of the turbine.

Instead, the heavy-lift cargo drone will fly back and forth from an offshore supply vessel directly to the top of the nacelle. The drone flight from the vessel to the turbine takes about four minutes per turbine – compared to the conventional approach without drones, which can take around six hours.

Taking vessel transport between the turbines and from-and-to shore into account, Ørsted says it’s been able to complete the tasks at Borssele 10-15 times faster than normal.

The use of the heavy-lift cargo drones at Borssele 1 & 2 will reduce costs, save time, and improve operational safety and efficiency. Wind turbines don’t have to be shut down when cargo is delivered, and drone use reduces risk for wind farm personnel. Further, the drones minimize the need for multiple journeys by ship, reducing carbon emissions.

Rasmus Errboe, chief commercial officer and deputy CEO at Ørsted, said:

The drones at Borssele 1 & 2 … will improve safety, bring down carbon emissions, and reduce the cost of operating offshore wind farms, which all further improve the commercial fundamentals of offshore wind for investors, governments, and corporations.

Read more: In a ‘world first,’ autonomous giant drones are flying cargo to offshore wind turbines

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