Major Contract For ALE
Siemens has awarded a four-year Crane Framework Agreement to heavy-lift specialist ALE for the supply and deployment of cranes, specialised transport equipment and personnel. The contract is for the period 2016-2019, and has a value in excess of EUR 55 million. It covers Siemens’ harbour-based offshore wind sites in the UK and Germany. Approximately three quarters of the contract value relates to UK offshore projects, all of which will involve blade export or pre-assembly at Siemens’ new facilities in Hull. The work involves onshore heavy lifting, transport and pre-assembly for offshore wind operations. The contract is effective from the beginning of June 2016.
The first offshore wind power plant to benefit from the newly-constructed Hull harbour, Alexandra Dock, will be the Dudgeon project off the Norfolk coast. Dudgeon is owned by Norwegian energy companies Statoil and Statkraft and Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, Masdar. It will be operated by Statoil. The Dudgeon wind farm will comprise 67 of Siemens’ 6MW offshore wind turbines. With an overall capacity of 402MW Dudgeon will provide clean power to more than 410,000 UK households. ALE equipment and staff will be used in the handling and pre-assembly of imported towers, nacelles and blades to be used on the Dudgeon offshore wind park. Where possible, a Ro/Ro process is used, instead of lifting. This method provides more safety and cost efficiency when it comes to moving up-to-75-metre-long rotor blades and 360t nacelles.
Soon after the Dudgeon project, the Race Bank offshore wind farm will mobilise and will involve pre-assembly and supply of some of the first blades manufactured at the Hull factory. Race Bank is owned by DONG Energy. It will be located in the Greater Wash area, approximately 27km off the east UK coast. Race Bank will comprise 91 of Siemens’ 6MW offshore wind turbines. With an overall capacity of approx. 580MW Race Bank will supply green electricity to more than 400,000 British households.