Global Wind Service (GWS) has secured a contract from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) to assemble all 102 towers for East Anglia ONE Offshore Wind Farm in the UK.
Image: Global Wind Service will assemble all 102 towers for East Anglia ONE. Photo: Courtesy of Global Wind Service.
East Anglia ONE is located in the Southern North Sea, approximately 43km off the Suffolk coast. The towers are expected to be assembled at the Norfolk port of Great Yarmouth, near GWS’ office in Lowestoft, ahead of their load-out and installation offshore as part of the wind farm construction.
The pre-assembly work related to the installation of SWT-7.0-154 turbines at site is scheduled to start by the mid-March 2019 and is expected to run for a year.
GWS chief commercial officer Michael Høj Olsen said: “Global Wind Service is very pleased to be part of this world-leading project together with our strong partner through 10 years, Siemens Gamesa. We have been present in the UK for over 9 years now, so this is a great way for us to underline our strong and continuous commitment to the country’s offshore wind market.
“A long term project like East Anglia ONE is supporting GWS’ strategy to continue our growth globally and in the UK where it will also create more local jobs, which is great for the UK wind industry”
For the 66kV high voltage scope, GWS is expected to be drawing on the specialized HV-technicians from its joint venture Delpro Wind.
Once operational in 2020, the offshore wind farm will supply green energy to approximately 600,000 British households. It will be built with a total investment of around €3bn
GWS said that East Anglia ONE will be the first wind farm project to utilize 66kV cables on a commercial scale.
SGRE senior project manager Andrew Elmes said: “For a ground-breaking project like East Anglia ONE, it was important to choose a supplier with solid experience and expertise as well as proven quality and safety record.
“With GWS’ in-house high-voltage competences in Delpro Wind, along with over 9 years of local presence in the UK market, we have selected a strong partner for this project, and we are happy to continue our long-term cooperation with GWS”.