Harland & Wolff, the iconic shipyard with over 160 years of maritime and offshore engineering pedigree has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (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 – better positioning 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, 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 – all to 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 which will ultimately strengthen Harland & Wolff’s offering to customers across the UK offshore wind (fixed & floating) sector, this agreement will 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.
John Wood, Group CEO of commented: “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.”
Ricardo Domínguez, Chairman of Navantia commented: “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.”
Orlando Alonso, Executive Chairman of Windar Renovables commented: “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.”
About Harland & Wolff Group Holdings plc
Harland & Wolff is a multisite fabrication company, operating in the maritime and offshore industry through five markets: commercial, cruise and ferry, defence, oil & gas and renewables and six services: technical services, fabrication and construction, decommissioning, repair and maintenance, in-service support and conversion.
Its Belfast yard is one of Europe’s largest heavy engineering facilities, with deep water access, two of Europe’s largest drydocks, ample quayside and vast fabrication halls. As a result of the acquisition of Harland & Wolff (Appledore) in August 2020, the company has been able to capitalise on opportunities at both ends of the ship-repair and shipbuilding markets where this will be significant demand.
In February 2021, the company acquired the assets of two Scottish based yards along the east and west coasts. Now known as Harland & Wolff (Methil) and Harland & Wolff (Arnish), these facilities will focus on fabrication work within the renewable, oil and gas and defence sectors.
Harland & Wolff is a wholly-owned subsidiary of InfraStrata plc (AIM: INFA) – soon to be known as Harland & Wolff Group Holdings plc. InfraStrata plc, the London Stock Exchange-listed firm focused on strategic infrastructure projects and physical asset life-cycle management applied to Companies House to trade under the new name on September 14, 2021. The company believes that this change of name will better reflect its ambition in expanding its core business and the significant development of its shipbuilding and fabrication activities.
In addition to Harland & Wolff, it owns the Islandmagee gas storage project, which is expected to provide 25% of the UK’s natural gas storage capacity and to benefit the Northern Irish economy as a whole when completed.
Media contact: media@harland-wolff.com (07506 477943)
About Navantia
The Spanish shipbuilder NAVANTIA is a world reference in the design, building and integration of highly technological state-of-the-art warships the international market, which makes it a strategic company with more than 300 years of history. Its activities include the design and manufacture of Integrated Platform Management Systems, Fire Control Systems, Command and Control systems, Propulsion Plants and through-life support for all its products. NAVANTIA has also taken steps towards diversification with a track record in Oil & Gas. In only seven years Navantia and has become a relevant actor in the area of offshore wind having delivered projects seven projects in five countries including electrical substations, jacket foundations and floating solutions.
Media contact: Carolina Jiménez: cjimenez@navantia.es / Esther Benito: ebenito@navantia.es (+34 690 10 92 43)
About Windar Renovables
Founded in 2007, Windar Renovables -part of the Daniel Alonso Group- is one of the largest tower manufacturer worldwide. The company is headquartered in Avilés (Asturias) and has ten production plants in Spain, Russia, India, Mexico and Brazil. Employing more than 1,400 workers, Windar Renovables is the sole global company with expertise in the manufacture of all types of offshore foundations: transition pieces, piles, jackets and semi-submersible and spar-type floating foundations.
Windar Renovables is a global leader in clean and sustainable energy through the manufacture of foundations and towers for the offshore wind industry, as well as towers for onshore wind farms. Owned by the Daniel Alonso Group and Siemens-Gamesa and led by its founding team, it has a network of manufacturing facilities strategically located to serve the world’s largest wind markets. It has production plants in Spain (Asturias, Galicia and Andalusia), India, Brazil, Mexico and Russia. The manufacturing capacity of all available solutions, the controlled quality of its products and innovation have earned it the trust of the main players of the renewable sector, which is materialized in a solid pipeline for the future.
