International engineering contractor ODE has extended its overseas growth in renewables with a major contract for a new German windfarm.
With a 30-year history in the energy sector, the London-based company is determined to use its extensive UK windfarm background to expand into emerging European and US markets.
It has announced a project management and engineering support services contract for the £1.6bn Iberdrola Wikinger windfarm planned in the Baltic Sea.
The 18-month deal is for a windfarm up to 80-turbines located around 30km off the Island of Rügen. Wikinger will be one of the largest projects in the Baltic Sea and Iberdrola’s first in Germany.
Meanwhile, ODE hopes soon to have teams working on two offshore wind farm demonstrator projects in the US, these being in the Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, where the companies have been working against intense competition for funding from the federal government. A decision is likely to be made later this year, but ODE is optimistic of success with both projects.
“These contracts add significant strength to our international foothold,” said ODE chairman and managing director Peter Godfrey. “Both support our ambitions to drive deeper into the European and American renewables markets, taking with us UK knowledge, skills and lessons we have learned from windfarms such as Ormonde, Robin Rigg, Gwynt y Môr and Scroby Sands – and from the German DanTysk site off Germany, where we’re providing technical assistance on the foundations of the substation platform, living quarters and turbines.”
He was encouraged by the rapid growth of the European wind industry over the past few years, smashing the 100GW milestone for installed wind power capacity. Extensive opportunities are opening up in Europe and ODE intends to be involved.
Iberdrola – Spain’s largest energy group and the world´s largest operator of renewable energy projects – is developing an offshore wind project pipeline which amounts to more than 11,000MW in Northern Europe, most notably the UK, Germany and France. In 2013, Iberdrola will be commissioning West Of Duddon Sands, its first UK offshore windfarm, with 389MW installed capacity located in the Irish Sea. The construction of this facility, jointly developed with Dong, currently employs some 500 people.
“In Germany, the targets for renewables are ambitious and there are many challenges, particularly with grid connection. Along with many other companies, we hope that the new regulation proposed by the German Government will help reduce risks and ease the bottleneck. Sourcing expertise from the UK will be important and we’re convinced our local knowledge can make an essential contribution to achieve those targets,” said Mr. Godfrey.
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Press release, November 06, 2012; Image: tms-media