German RWE secures capacity at Norwegian Aibel for three offshore wind platforms through a framework agreement. – Very large contract for us, says Aibel CEO Mads Andersen.
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The German energy company RWE enters into a framework agreement with Aibel and Hitachi Energy regarding possible deliveries of three platforms, Aibel informs E24.
Through the framework agreement, RWE reserves engineering and production capacity at Aibel for three major projects.
Converter platforms are needed to be able to transfer power from offshore wind to the mainland.
– This is a solid agreement for us, and we are very satisfied, says Aibel CEO Mads Andersen to E24.
– What is the value of this agreement?
– We have not given any figures, but we are talking about multibillion-dollar projects. RWE has also not stated which developments are in question. But this is a very large contract for us, says Andersen.
He emphasizes that the agreement so far is not a concrete order.
– For now, this is a reservation. These platforms are only booked in our order reserve when the commercial contracts have been signed, he says.
– Seeing a change
The Norwegian supplier company is currently building both oil and gas platforms and large converter platforms for the offshore wind industry. In addition, Aibel works with the electrification of oil and gas facilities.
Aibel is owned 50 per cent by the Andresen family’s investment company Ferd, 32 per cent by Swedish Ratos and 18 per cent by Sjätte AP-fonden.
The CEO of Aibel believes that the framework contract with RWE represents something new in the industry. The offshore wind industry has experienced challenges recently, and several companies have written down values and scrapped projects.
– We see a change in the last three to five years. From bidding in razor-sharp competition and not knowing exactly what the outcome would be, we now enter into partnership models. The market has changed, says Andersen.
– There has been a bit of an abrupt halt in the market, but now new types of cooperation agreements seem to be establishing themselves. This could be the beginning of a new trend.
RWE states in a statement that the company is dependent on having available capacity to be able to realize its offshore wind plans.
– Given the challenging market situation, this type of agreement is exactly what we need to succeed, says Sven Utermöhlen, director of RWE Offshore Wind, according to the report.
Has delivered a number of platforms
Andersen says that the framework agreement applies to platforms based on Aibel and Hitachi’s lean concept, which was first sold on the British Doggerbank project.
– We have now delivered two platforms there, and the third is now on its way from Thailand. We also have two such platforms under delivery to Ørsted and the Hornsea III project, says Andersen.
– Then we are in total up to number six, seven and eight of the lean concept, he says.
In addition, there are two other and larger platforms built for TenneT, namely Dolwin beta and Dolwin epsilon.
– Aibel has experience from several such projects now, what does that mean for getting new contracts?
– I think that since Doggerbank has been delivered on time and on time throughout the covid period, and Hornsea is also well underway, I think we have proven that the delivery model both internally in Aibel and together with Hitachi has worked well, says Andersen.
– How has it gone with the Doggerbank platforms?
– Doggerbank C is on its way from Thailand, Doggerbank B is now in place, and Doggerbank A has been in operation for some time. We build the steel on these platforms in Thailand and complete them in Haugesund, he says.
Dolwin epsilon is still at the yard in Haugesund, but will go to Germany later this year.
– It will sail after the summer, says Andersen.
Both fossil and green
Aibel works both with renewable projects, oil and gas as well as electrification of oil and gas facilities.
– Munin is our biggest project in oil and gas now. Electrification and a new train at Hammerfest LNG is also a big project for us, with a contract value of eight billion, says Andersen.
– Upgrading gas compression and electrification of Oseberg is another big job for us. When Oseberg leaves the Nordsjøhallen, Munin comes in, he says.
Munin is an unmanned processing platform to be used on the Yggdrasil field. This NOK 115 billion Aker BP field will be the largest investment on the Norwegian continental shelf for a long time.
– We have cut the first steel there. Parts of the platform are being built in Thailand, while the processing plant is being built in Haugesund, says Andersen.
The company is also working on the Penguins platform for Shell. This is a round oil and gas platform of the same type used on the Goliat field in the Barents Sea.
– It will also be released in the summer. It is a Sevan design oil and gas platform. It will be located east of Shetland and produce around 45,000 barrels per day. A very welcome addition to the British shelf, says Andersen.
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