For the energy turnaround
An experienced heavylift specialist is ready for the projects of the future. It was 20 years ago that deugro founded deugro Denmark, thus taking an important step towards becoming one of the leading project forwarders for wind power and renewable energies. Since then the firm, founded in 1924, has executed more than 200 wind energy projects in around 40 countries. This means deugro has helped install nearly 4,000 wind turbines with a total capacity of around 11,000 MW.
In the course of the last century deugro has successfully delivered numerous complex turn-key projects. One of the best examples is the Kvitfjell Raudfjell project (pictured) – one of Europe’s largest onshore wind farm projects of 2019.
This contract saw deugro Denmark deliver 67 wind turbines with a volume of more than 290,000 t to Norway from Morocco, Denmark and Indonesia. They provide a total capacity of 4.2 MW.
A new look at the supply chain
The next milestones are already taking on clear contours, as Pieter Jacobs told the ITJ. The director for wind turbines, global wind projects and renewable energy at deugro pointed out that “the peak for fossil fuels is expected in 2030, and with global demand for energy still growing it’s clear that this can only be ‘solved’ by using more and more renewable energy.”
The manager is convinced that wind power will play a role in leading the way to a sustainable energy supply. “Onshore and offshore wind generation will develop further, and capacities will increase. The development of battery storage solutions will enable wind power to become a primary source of energy. In coming decades the offshore wind power industry will expand into new geographical areas that haven’t been developed yet so far and thus capacities will further increase.”
Turbine capacities, the size of individual projects as well as their complexity are all set to grow, and along with the commercialisation of floating offshore wind generation systems the logistics of the wind power segment will become ever more complex. The corporation says it’s ready for these challenges.
“Increased turbine sizes will call for a different look at the logistics required, in combination with the available assets, facilities and infrastructure,” Jacobs said. These developments will lead to a more sustainable energy supply, but they’ll require the further lowering of the so-called levelised cost of electricity (LCOE).
To accomplish this “a different look at the supply chain will be required,” and it will be essential to work together in real partnerships to optimise the logistics and efficiency of wind farm construction.
Freight forwarders will continue to play an important role in the industry, combining and optimising the required logistics and reducing the risk for OEMs and developers. They can also simplify the ever more complex goods flows in inbound logistics. This business used to be mainly containerised, but with the increasing size of equipment ever more parts have become out of gauge today.
A big role for forwarders
On top of these developments of the future a separate business field will also grow up around the decommissioning of existing but out-of-date wind farms. This will, Jacobs predicts, lead to increased pressure on assets and logistics possibilities.
He’s optimistic, however, that deugro, “with its ‘think different’ mentality and the support of dteq,” will play an important role in the future of the renewable wind energy industry. “We believe that the sector will grow to become the largest segment in deugro’s portfolio.” To this end the company said it will further enlarge its renewable footprint to cover its global organisation. Photos: deugro
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“We’ve been ‘Moving Mountains’ for 100 years”
Ever since deugro was founded by Carl Press in Frankfurt (Germany) in 1924 it has specialised in handling oversized and heavy cargo. From the late 1960s onwards then it turned itself into a global operator. By 2024 it had expanded to 70 offices in more than 30 countries, employing more than 1,400 professionals.
The forwarding industry has changed tremendously over the years, but deugro has faced the challenges, with its ‘ambition for excellence’ a constant, the firm said. This set the stage for its 100th anniversary celebrations this year, under the motto ‘Moving Mountains’, which describes the creative and unconventional logistics solutions that make deugro stand out.
The company told the ITJ that its customers choose its services due to its 100 years of experience, its proven track record and its problem-solving capabilities, its specialised technical and operational expertise, as well as its 24 / 7 reliability and support. For the future the company will continue to focus heavily on logistics projects for renewable energy, including the generation of wind power.