Haizea Bilbao, a subsidiary of Haizea Wind Group, has entered into an agreement with Ørsted for an undisclosed offshore wind project for which the Spain-based company will manufacture and deliver monopiles.
The contract, which is subject to final investment decision by Ørsted on the project, is the largest ever secured by Haizea Wind Group and marks the company’s first offshore monopile contract, following the delivery of the monopiles for the Italian Taranto nearshore project last year.
Under the contract with Ørsted, signed on 6 January, Haizea will be responsible for procurement of materials, engineering of the fabrication process, and fabrication of the monopiles that will be delivered in the port of Bilbao.
“This is aligned with the strategic growth plan of Haizea that includes the target to become one of the most important players in the Offshore Wind value chain, and more specifically secure a relevant position within foundation supply & manufacturing companies” , the company stated in a press release.
According to Haizea, with this investment it will double its existing production capacity by extending its fabication facilities by 56,000 square metres and creating further 350 direct jobs in the port of Bilbao, as well as a significant number of indirect jobs in local suppliers and subcontractors.
Additional storage areas will also be required to accommodate the monopiles before they are delivered to the transportation vessels contracted by Ørsted, Haizea said.
The factory in Bilbao has been designed to supply monopiles with an outside diameter of 15 metres, 170 milimetres of wall thickness, 130 metres in length, and more than 3,500 tonnes of total weight, according to the company.
“Securing this agreement with the market leader in operating offshore wind confirms the robustness of the plan developed by Haizea during the past years to position itself as one of the leading foundation manufacturers in offshore wind and probes the commitment of the group to become one of the top global suppliers to the wind industry”, Haizea said in a press release on 24 January.
“The port of Bilbao will also get its position as one of the most important Offshore Wind Hubs in the south of Europe strengthened with the investment”.
Haizea Wind Group currently has manufacturing facilities in Spain, France and Argentina, from where it delivers wind turbine towers, offshore foundations and large castings to the wind industry.