Dutch fabricator Sif has started work on monopile foundations for the 487MW Seamade offshore wind farm off the coast of Belgium, according to the company’s first quarter results for 2019.
Sif is contracted to produce 58 monopiles and the primary steel for the transition pieces for the wind farm, which is being developed by a joint venture of Otary Group (70%), Electrabel/Engie (17.5%) and Eneco Wind Belgium (12.5%).
The company and Smulders are jointly making the TPs for the project.
Sif said its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation were €4.1m in the first quarter of the year, up from €0.3m in the last quarter of 2018.
The contribution was €18.8m, up from €17.3m in the previous period. Contribution refers to revenue minus the cost of sale, with the latter including costs of raw materials, subcontracted work and other external charges, logistics and other project-related expenses.
Sif chief executive Fred van Beers said work is also continuing for the Triton Knoll and Borssele 3&4 offshore wind farms, which will be located off the coasts of England and the Netherlands, respectively.
Triton Knoll and Seamade constitute 130 kilotons of steel, for 148 monopiles and 58 TPs, he said.
Work for the Borssele 1&2 project will kick off in the third quarter, Van Beers added.
“After ramping up in Q2, we will then be back on more normalised quarterly production levels of close to 60Kton, to end the year with total production numbers of approximately 210 Kton or 272 monopiles and 150 transition pieces,” he said.
Van Beers added that investments in coating facilities are on schedule for completion in July, as is the buildup of the company’s workforce.
He said: “To deliver the estimated production volumes, we will partially lift the option to work 24 hours, seven days a week, at some production points, between the end of Q2 2019 and the end of the year.
“With a full order book for 2019 and a sound funnel of projects for the years thereafter, we are well placed to contribute to the planned growth of the offshore wind industry, both in Europe and emerging markets in Asia and the north-eastern USA.
“We are negotiating exclusively on two projects and are involved on a non-exclusive basis in all other projects on the market.
“We feel confident we are well placed to win our fair share of available projects though given the nature and characteristics of the industry, exact timing remains difficult to predict.”