This year the VI Technical Engineering Conference, held this upcoming 24th February within the framework of the SACYRFLUOR Engineering Week, will encompass the offshore wind power sector.
Asturias is in a favourable position in terms of the manufacture and supply of wind power components. This is the concept that the Asturian Energy Foundation (FAEN) will share this 24th February with all those that attend the VI Technical Engineering Conference, this year dedicated to Renewable Energies: Offshore Wind Power, organised by SACYRFLUOR engineering and IDEPA as the managing body of the Asturian Technology Park. Numerous companies will attend the event, as well as representatives from SACYRFLUOR and FAEN. Managers from PRODINTEC, Daniel Alonso Group and Iberdrola will participate by talking about corporate experiences in the sector and the current situation of the offshore wind power sector.
The chosen date for this conference is not arbitrary, but completely premeditated. It falls the week after Engineering Week; an event held each year by FLUOR engineering on a global scale with the aim of circulating and disseminating this sphere of knowledge. IDEPA is keen to support this by organising these conferences.
SACYRFLUOR Engineering Week
Within the programme of activities the Asturian-based multinational has planned between 22nd and 26th February, SACYRFLUOR has revealed that there is an international-level competition among all the company delegations, this year organised by the headquarters located in the Philippines. This competition will consist in developing a device with office materials. Various judges from the different headquarters will be entrusted with rating this device.
In Asturias, the company foresees visits to educational establishments, such as the Llanera Secondary School, as well as talks about engineering at the University of Oviedo, both on the Oviedo and Gijon Campuses. One of the features of these regional conferences is the link between companies and the Asturian University, organising different activities and collaborations throughout the five-day event, as well as other types of collaborations during the year.
Asturias: the generator of aero-generator components
This is the title of the VI Technical Engineering Conference that this year, as its name indicates, is set to analyse the renewable energy market, and more specifically, the industrial capacities of Asturias in the offshore wind power sector. The conference starts at 17:15 in the Events Hall at BIC Asturias (Asturian Technology Park – Llanera).
In Asturias there is a growing market for the manufacture and supply of components for wind farms. Specifically, according to the Asturian Energy Foundation (FAEN) Area Manager for Renewable Energies, Indalecio González, “Asturias is well-positioned” in this field and has regional companies that are already working on a commercial scale to develop components.
According to González, the region has “a good steel supply, administering the raw material at a competitive market price, as well as companies with experience in manufacturing components for aero-generators”. Likewise, the expert highlights the equipped Asturian ports, which “are prepared” for the maritime transport of pieces to demanding countries, which are normally “two-days travel away”, he affirms.
Waves and wind, energy resources in Asturias
Aside from marketing components in other places, Asturias has some potential in energy resources, thanks to its geographical location, based on wind and waves. The Asturian Coastal Study for the exploitation of wave energy resources, published by FAEN, demonstrates the possibility of using wave power to generate energy, though, as González affirms, “it is still in an experimental stage, not just in Asturias but also on a global scale”.
However, regarding the implementation of this type of technology the region holds a strategic position in Spain within the Cantabrian Coast. Even “some Asturian companies”, notes González, have participated in developing some of the solutions that are currently on the table in terms of exploiting waves as an energy source.
González is clear: despite the fact there are resources available, “right now we have to support the supply and marketing of generator components based on wind power”. There is a market and it should be exploited.
