TÜV SÜD PMSS, an offshore wind consultancy firm that is part of the TÜV SÜD group, has successfully completed a number of key project milestones on behalf of the developer, as the largest Dutch nearshore wind farm reaches financial close.
The Westermeerwind project in the Ijsselmeer consists of 48 3MW Siemens Direct Drive turbines, giving the project a total output of 144MW. TÜV SÜD PMSS was contracted on the nearshore wind development in 2010 in a project management capacity by Ventolines, who since 2007 managed the development stage on behalf of the developer. Ventolines will remain responsible for project management during the construction and asset management stage of the Westermeerwind project.
Over the course of the development, TÜV SÜD PMSS Director of Project Delivery, Rob Waddington, served as Project Director for one year, managing a client team, preparing documentation and negotiating the Siemens EPC Turnkey and Long Term Service contracts and was subsequently retained as contracts advisor.
The wider TÜV SÜD PMSS team, retained by Ventolines for a four-year period continued to provide consultancy services throughout the early development phases, ranging from Contract Management and Procurement to QHSE and Risk Management.
In doing so, they formed an integral part of the project development team and helped navigate the project towards financial close, ahead of planned construction next year.
“To see Westermeerwind achieve its financing goals in good time for the start of construction is extremely satisfying – and we congratulate everyone that’s been involved,” said Rob Waddington, Director of Project Delivery, TÜV SÜD PMSS .
“As the industry already knows, the period before a project reaches financial close is crucial – and is widely acknowledged to be one of the trickiest phases of any wind development.
“Early stage decisions, like the choice of manufacturer and principal contractor, are critical, since they will ultimately govern investor appetite and shape the progress of the entire project.”
“It’s therefore a privilege to have worked directly with the team to help enable them reach this stage – and it reflects positively on years of successful work keeping project risk to an acceptable level through careful management of a multitude of complex interfaces.”
For over twenty years TÜV SÜD PMSS has delivered wind projects for onshore, nearshore and offshore across Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America working for governments, project developers, OEMs, utilities, banks, institutional investors, insurers and other stakeholders.