Harland & Wolff has signed a MoU with Navantia and Windar Renovables to target specific fixed and floating offshore wind projects primarily within the UK.
The agreement signals a firm commitment from all three parties to actively secure wind farm development projects and execute them together.
This collaboration will enable Harland & Wolff to take better advantage of the offshore wind opportunities set out in the UK Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.
Harland & Wolff will be able to harness Navantia’s extensive experience and adopt their advanced technologies.
It hopes this will better position itself to be a more attractive and competitive proposition to wind farm developers as they seek to work with UK companies to develop windfarms off UK shores.
The JV Navantia – Windar has completed more than 100 wind turbine jacket foundation structures for various clients over the last five years with the organisation.
It is currently fabricating and assembling 62 jackets for Iberdrola’s St Brieuc offshore wind farm after having recently completed five floating hull foundations for the Scottish-based Kincardine Floating Offshore wind farm.
The partnership between Navantia and Windar Renovables dates to 2015.
Since then, they have collaborated in the execution of seven offshore wind projects. Both companies are currently investing in a new XXL monopile facility in Spain.
This collaboration aims to increase overall technology transfer, efficiencies, improve Harland & Wolff’s engineering and manufacturing competencies as well as promote learning and innovation.
It is hoped this will sharpen its market offering, boost local jobs across the group, and build on its core fabrication capabilities strategically.
Focused on supporting the UK Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution alongside reaching net zero by 2050, this agreement aims to increase Harland & Wolff’s share in the renewables market by harnessing its extensive UK fabrication footprint.
Building on the complementary capabilities and capacities across all three companies will ultimately strengthen Harland & Wolff’s offering to customers across the UK offshore wind (fixed & floating) sector.
This agreement will also jointly serve to offer safe, high quality, cost-effective solutions to offshore wind development companies, EPC contractors and the wider supply chain and competitively offer customers more efficient solutions.
Harland and Wolff group chief executive John Wood said: “Through this strategic partnership, we will be able to strengthen the scale and footprint of a combined multi-site offering which will de-risk customer schedules, drive more innovation and efficiency and enable projects to be monetised quicker.
“We now look forward to working with both organisations as we rapidly advance within the market.”
Navantia chairman Ricardo Domínguez added: “The decision to form an alliance between Harland & Wolff and Navantia in the field of offshore wind comes after two years of continuous collaboration on projects in the defence sector, which has enabled the consolidation of a relationship of trust that now extends to other areas of activity of both companies.
“The addition of Harland & Wolff to the Navantia-Windar partnership provides the offshore industry with an industrial surface area of approximately five million square metres and an unprecedented capacity to tackle offshore wind projects, with a special interest in floating solutions that require large spaces for assembly and storage.”
Windar Renovables executive chairman Orlando Alonso said: “We are very excited to collaborate with two shipyards with such a long tradition as Harland & Wolff and Navantia, and to contribute to writing a new page in the marine energy sector.
“Offshore wind is undergoing a process of expansion that will accelerate in the coming years and we want to play a key role in this journey.”