Fabricator Sif is on track to make a final investment decision in July on expanding its capabilities and capacity to deliver monopiles.
The Dutch company said “customer support” is a cornerstone in allowing it to get close to the move.
It is already in exclusive negotiations on 400 kiltones of “launching capacity” for the new factory.
Sif chief executive Fred van Beers said: “Furthermore, clients have, subject to FID, committed to substantial funding. The overall conclusion is that we are moving closer to clarity on the capex amount and on the total committed financing.
“This implies that we on schedule for a final investment decision in July 2022.”
Van Beers was commenting following first quarter results for the company, which showed an EBITDA of €8.8m compared to €8.1m in the year-ago period.
He said the company has been able to manage the operational effects on pricing related to the war in Ukraine and added that h hopes that greater production efficiencies can offset additional costs for electricity and gas going forward.
“The mid to long term impact of the war on prices and availability of building materials in general and more specific of steel is hard to predict at this moment in time,” he added.
“As a significant amount of steel is included in our investment case we are continuously monitoring this specific element. From a Trading update Q1 2022 12 May 2022 2 market demand perspective, the need to expand the production capacity for foundations, both in terms of size and quantity, is more obvious than ever.”