Following a competitive tender process, RWE has been successful in winning the operations, service and maintenance contract at the 175-turbine, 630 MW London Array Offshore Wind Farm.
Over the past year, a tender process has been conducted to explore if there was a more efficient way to deliver the range of O&M services needed at London Array. This has been conducted by London Array Ltd. on behalf of shareholders: RWE (30%), Orsted (25%), Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ, 25%), and Masdar (20%).
“RWE is #2 in the world for offshore wind and is driving the development of the largest offshore wind pipeline in the U.K.,” says Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of offshore wind at RWE Renewables. “This contract demonstrates RWE’s long history and experience in developing, building and operating some of the largest offshore wind projects in Europe. We will work with all partners to ensure the site remains successful into the future.”
RWE operates eight offshore wind farms in the U.K. and a further five across Europe on behalf of itself and its partners. The new services for London Array will start early 2023 and are for 10 years.
“Being selected as O&M service provider for London Array Offshore Wind Farm is a fantastic demonstration of our renewable expertise,” adds Thomas Michel, director of offshore wind operations at RWE Renewables. “Colleagues from across our offshore business and wider support functions all played their part in securing our success. This demonstrates RWE as a clear leader in the industry and presents us with a great opportunity to drive performance improvements and synergies across the fleet.”
The wind farm is located 20 km off the north Kent coast in the Outer Thames Estuary. London Array has a 630 MW capacity and generates enough clean electricity to power around 500,000 British homes, while displacing around 900,000 tons of CO2 a year. It is maintained and operated from the Port of Ramsgate.
