Gamesa and Areva have jointly formed Adwen, an offshore wind company that seeks to combine the expertise and track records of the two manufacturers.
Equally co-owned by the companies, Adwen will have about 700 employees in corporate offices located in France, Spain, the U.K. and Germany. Per the joint venture, Adwen is responsible for the design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and services of offshore wind turbines. Combined, Adwen will have a 2.8 GW project pipeline while seeking to obtain 20% market share by 2020.
The Adwen 8 MW platform – initiated by Areva and further optimized by Gamesa – will reach serial production in 2018.
Additionally, the company will offer a turbine in the 5 MW class: the AD 5-135 and AD 5-132. The AD 5-135, formerly known as Areva's M5000-135, has an installed base of 650 MW and will reach 1 GW with Wikinger wind farm installation. The AD 5-132 , formerly known as the Gamesa G132-5.0 MW Offshore, complements the product portfolio with a competitive turbine, the company claims.
Adwen will manufacture these turbines in its existing plants in Germany, specifically Bremerhaven and Stade, where it will be ideally positioned to equip North Sea and Baltics projects. The company will fulfill industrial commitments engaged by Areva and Gamesa, in France and in the U.K., comprising the creation of factories in Le Havre and the implementation of a network of suppliers and partners throughout the country.
