BW Ideol has teamed up with Associated British Ports in Port Talbot for floating foundation industrialisation for the Celtic Sea.
Associated British Ports (ABP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to look into the feasibility of serialised production of concrete substructures for floating offshore wind turbine foundations based on the BW Ideol design
In March, Port Talbot received Green Freeport status which is estimated to bring £4.9 billion in public and private investments, with the potential to create around 20,000 jobs by 2030, the Welsh Government has said.
This agreement between ABP and BW Ideol has been signed in preparation for the Celtic Sea leasing round announced by The Crown Estate.
BW Ideol says that with Port Talbot being located around 75 miles from Project Development Areas, the facility is “ideally located as a manufacturing base” for its technology.
ABP is looking to invest over £500 million to turn Port Talbot into a Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) hub.
The investment is part of its sustainability strategy, ‘Ready for Tomorrow’ launched earlier this year, sets out plans for ABP and partners to invest £2 billion into decarbonising its own operations by 2040.
In addition to the investment ABP and its partners have set out to support large-scale green energy infrastructure and industrial decarbonisation projects.
Paul de la Guérivière, chief executive of BW Ideol, said: “We can’t wait to start working with ABP at Port Talbot and we have no doubt that it will confirm that our patented concrete floating solution, which is the most compact and scalable solution on the market, is manufacturable at a large scale and will be able to equip future installation sites in the Celtic Sea while providing the highest level of local content.
“We have already demonstrated it in Scotland where we have developed fabrication methods able to provide floaters for the equivalent of 1GW per year.”
BW Ideol currently has a manufacturing base at Ardersier with the firm signing a formal partnership with the port in 2021.
Andy Reay, ABP head of offshore wind, said: “ABP is looking to invest in new and repurposed infrastructure in Port Talbot to enable the port to host manufacturing, installation and supply chain activity for the FLOW sector, and are currently exploring the option of constructing heavy lift quays to link onshore storage land to the marine environment and create a GW-scale opportunity.
“This has the potential to create 16,000 new, high-quality jobs and attract £5.5 billion inward investment in the wider regional economy. This agreement is an important step towards realising this ambition.”
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