Contracts awarded for Kentish Flats extension

When the Kentish Flats windfarm was built in 2005, Vestas supplied the thirty V90-3.0 MW turbines to Swedish utility giant Vattenfall. They have now been selected to supply, install and commission 15 slightly larger capacity V112-3.3 MW offshore turbines. They also currently service the original turbines and the new contract includes a five-year AOM 5000 service agreement. At the same time, DEME’s marine engineering specialist arm GeoSea announced they had secured a comprehensive EPCI contract agreement with Vattenfall covering design, supply and installation of the new foundations. Subsequently GeoSea will also install all 15 turbines.

Kentish Flats was one of the earliest UK Round 1 windfarms and had a Vestas connection since conception. Originally developed by GREP, a subsidiary of Danish turbine manufacturer NEG Micron (now Vestas) the project was sold to Danish power company Elsam in 2003 and today Kentish Flats is owned and operated by Vattenfall. In a sign of how far UK offshore wind has come in less than ten years, at the time of commissioning in 2005 the thirty 3MW turbines at Kentish Flats qualified it for the dual record of having the largest turbines installed in the UK and the largest windfarm in the country. This latest project is part of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s plans for extensions to a number of Round 1 and 2 windfarms and involves installation of extra turbines along the sites western and southern perimeter.

GeoSea are now increasingly active in the offshore wind market, including through their new 100% owned subsidiary Offshore & Wind Assistance, based in Zwijndrecht, Belgium. GeoSea own seven self-elevating jack-ups including the two large self-propelled platforms Goliath, built in 2008 and Neptune, built in 2012. With offshore cranes of 400t and 600t respectively both are operated with the offshore wind industry in mind. Late in 2012 and at the same time that GeoSea launched the new company, they also christened two new Damen Twin Axe fast crew suppliers Aquata and Arista. Both are engaged on a ten year long-term contract with C-Power providing crew transfer vessels for inspection and maintenance at the Thornton Bank offshore windfarm off the Belgian coast.

The Kentish Flats extension has several unique features including very shallow waters, tidal dependence and innovative foundation design and in the coming months, GeoSea plan to actively engage with the local supply chain in Kent to maximise local business content in the project. A local supplier event has been organised by Vattenfall with active participation by GeoSea and other key players.