Dong Energy is to build a new operations and maintenance facility at Kings Wharf, Seacombe in Merseyside to serve the existing 90MW Burbo Bank 1 and new 258MW Burbo Bank 2 offshore wind farms.
The unit, which will consist of a new office and warehouse building on a disused site, will cover approximately 1800 square metres.
Dong said enabling works are underway and the main contractor is expected to start construction later this year with completion scheduled for mid-2017.
Up to 75 jobs will be created during construction and about 45 permanent posts once the facility is operational, the Danish company added.
Vessels are expected to operate out of the Seacombe Mersey Ferries terminal, with discussions progressing with Merseytravel on a potential “long-term agreement for shared use of the terminal to facilitate daily vessel access”.
Dong said it has also committed to carry out work in cooperation with Wirral Council on the river promenade adjacent to the site to improve the public amenity.
Burbo 1 has been operational since 2007, while Burbo 2 is expected to be fully operational in 2017.
Dong Energy UK country chairman Brent Cheshire said: “The site offers excellent offshore access and flexibility, which is exactly what we need to efficiently operate and maintain our wind farms.”
Meanwhile, the size of Dong’s initial public offering has risen to Dkr19.7bn after Morgan Stanley exercised an “overallotment option” available to it in its capacity as stabilising manager for the IPO and listing.
Morgan Stanley purchased 10,925,159 additional shares at the offer price of Dkr235 a share from selling shareholders other than the Danish state and SEAS-NVE Holding.
The purchase brought the total number of shares offered to 83,759,552.
The “overallotment option” amounted to an additional 15% of the shares already sold and was available to investors until 8 July.
Image: Impression of the new facility (Dong Energy)
