MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has leased additional area at the Port of Esbjerg to accommodate pre-assembly and shipment of offshore wind turbine components.
The company moved into the new East Port in 2013, and carried out five projects from the facility since then. With growing operations, MHI Vestas decided to double its lease at the port. The total space of the company’s site will expand from 54,200m² to 138,200m² and will include an extra quay space for the execution of multiple projects simultaneously.
Pre-assembly for Belgian 165MW Nobelwind project will commence at the site in June, with work on the UK’s 400MW Rampion project set to begin in September.
Bo J. Bjerregaard , Director of Pre-Assembly & Projects at MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, said: “Pre-Assembly is a critical aspect of our business and therefore it is essential to have a dedicated site onshore, with the necessary infrastructure where we can prepare our components for offshore installation.
“This will ensure we can minimise time spent offshore, and thereby reducing installation costs. We are preparing for a busy period where we will execute several projects from Esbjerg and we highly appreciate the infrastructure investment and the flexibility shown by the Port of Esbjerg in supporting our asset light operations.”
Ole Ingrisch , CEO at the Port of Esbjerg, said: “This agreement marks the further development of our successful co-operation with MHI Vestas since 2001, which has played an important part in making Port of Esbjerg the leading port for wind power in Europe. And it is of course encouraging that we are able to respond to the requirements of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind in terms of flexibility and capacity – on the scale necessary for large offshore wind projects.”