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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Christian HicksORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This paper investigates the interplay of two understudied factors that affect offshore wind decommissioning: project costs and durations; and the seasonality of weather conditions and the role of vessel capabilities. A simulation model was developed that replicates day-to-day decommissioning logistics, with weather fluctuations over time being represented by Markov chains. The numerical study found that seasonal weather fluctuations have a significant influence on project performance, potentially delaying an average-sized project by up to 101 days with cost increases of up to €14.1 million. This underlines the criticality of a project’s start date. The number of turbines being decommissioned was found to have the strongest impact on the interplay between seasonality and project performance. This impact could be mitigated by increasing the capacity of vessels and the permitted operational wave height thresholds. This study is the first to quantify the significance of considering weather seasonality in a decommissioning context and provides an overview of the factors that influence performance. The study offers valuable insights for offshore wind farm operators and helps explain the relationship between project start dates and project duration and costs.
Author(s): Dingsing PH, Killic OA, Veldman J, Hicks C
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews
Year: 2025
Volume: 224
Print publication date: 01/12/2025
Online publication date: 17/07/2025
Acceptance date: 14/07/2025
Date deposited: 14/07/2025
ISSN (print): 1364-0321
ISSN (electronic): 1879-0690
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2025.116099
DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.116099
ePrints DOI: 10.57711/w4pc-0408
Data Access Statement: Data will be made available on request.
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