Aarsleff and Germany’s Bilfinger Berger GmbH today entered into a contract for the execution of the first phase of the London Array, world’s largest offshore wind farm.
The offshore wind farm will be built in the Thames estuary, approximately 20 kilometres off the coasts of Kent and Essex. London Array phase 1 has a total capacity of 630MW, with a total planned capacity for the project of 1000MW. Upon completion, the electricity generated by the London Array will supply enough power for around 750,000 homes – equivalent to a quarter of all the homes in London.
The project is being carried out by a consortium consisting of Denmark’s DONG Energy, Germany’s E.ON Climate & Renewables and the Masdar renewable energy initiative from Abu Dhabi.
The contract value is approximately DKK 3 billion and is thus Aarsleff’s biggest contract so far.
Production and installation of 177 monopile foundations and installation of turbines
The contract consists of the design, production and installation of 177 monopile foundations – 175 foundations for the wind turbines and two for the transformer stations as well as installation of the 175 wind turbines. The monopiles are up to 60 metres in length and weigh 500 tons. Besides the monopile, the foundation consists of a transitional piece with a weight of 400 tons and a length of up to 30 metres. The foundation diameter is up to 5.7 metres.
The execution period is 2009-2012. The planning and production of the foundations will mainly take place in the period from 2009-2010. The installation of the foundations and the turbines will take place from 2011-2012.
Significant order
The order is of great importance to Aarsleff. ”We focus very much on establishment of offshore wind farms in Northern Europe, and we are well-prepared for the development of solutions that are optimised in terms of technology, economy and time”, says Lars Carlsen, Deputy General Manager.
The project is being executed in an equally shared consortium with German Bilfinger Berger GmbH with Aarsleff as the leading party. Both companies have extensive experience with the execution of offshore wind farms and are currently cooperating on the offshore wind farm Rødsand 2 and the somewhat smaller offshore wind farm north of Sprogø. Also, last year the joint venture was responsible for the execution of the offshore wind farm Horns Rev 2.
The earnings impact of the contract in 2009/2010 will be included in the total earnings expectations which will be informed as usually in the preliminary announcement of financial statements for 2008/2009.