The decision was explained today by Ignacio Galan, Chairman of IBERDROLA, to Susana Diez, President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, at a meeting held this morning in Seville.
This new contract for Navantia's shipyard in Cádiz will provide jobs for 350 professionals – rising to 600 at the busiest times – over the next two years.
Ignacio Galan emphasised that “thanks to its competitiveness, quality and expertise, Navantia has won this new contract for one of our most important energy projects, in which the President has expressed her interest on numerous occasions”.
According to the terms of the award, Navantia's shipbuilding facilities in Puerto Real will be in charge of building the various components that make up the new substation, which will weigh over 7.7 tonnes when complete.
The Chairman of Iberdrola pointed out that “given the consolidation of this new line of production at Navantia, it may go on to receive subsequent orders for our upcoming offshore wind farm projects in the UK, France and Germany”.
Fourth contract awarded to Navantia by Iberdrola
The award revealed today is the fourth to be made to Navantia by Iberdrola over a two-year period for the supply of various items of infrastructure belonging to the offshore wind power projects currently being undertaken by the company in European waters.
The overall value of the contracts awarded to Navantia is about €350 million, with jobs being provided for 2,600 people in Puerto Real, Fene and Aviles (Windar).
Apart from the contract announced, Navantia's shipyards in Andalusia already received another to build the offshore substation for the Wikinger wind farm that Iberdrola is building in the Baltic Sea off Germany, which was delivered last August and has already been installed on site.
This feat of engineering, which is the largest offshore wind farm built to date in the world, was entirely built in Puerto Real and also provided work for hundreds of employees at the shipbuilding facilities in Cadiz.
East Anglia One, one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world
With investments amounting to almost €3 billion, East Anglia One will be one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world when it is commissioned in the year 2020. The facility will be able to cover the electricity needs of over 500,000 English households.
This wind farm, the third of its kind to be commissioned by Iberdrola worldwide, will have the largest turbines in existence to date, with a unit capacity of 7 MW. They will be installed in windmills with a total height of 235 metres.
The East Anglia One offshore wind farm will be located 85 km from the mainland and it will cover a surface area of 300 km2.
