Iberdrola, through its UK subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables (SPR), has chosen Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) as the preferred bidder to supply and install some of the world’s most efficient and profitable offshore wind turbines for its £6.5 billion East Anglia Hub program.
SPR and SGRE have agreed to work together to refine the projects before the next Contracts for Difference sale, set for later this year, with the intention of signing turbine supply and implementation agreements.
Selecting the favored bidder at such an early stage in the construction of Hub projects provides an incentive for SPR and SGRE to develop hand-in-hand turbine design and Hub, which will help to achieve more productivity and optimize local supply chain opportunities.
The East Anglia Hub ventures have the capacity to produce more than 7.5% of the UK’s 40GW offshore wind generation target by 2030, as set out in the Ten Point Government Plan. In order to focus on the Plan’s goals, this year’s Contracts for Difference auction would need to ensure adequate rollout to bring the UK on track to meet this goal.
East Anglia ONE supported nearly 3,500 workers at the height of construction and provided 100 long-term professional jobs, with more than half of the supply chain originating from the UK sector. This included SGRE manufacture of turbine blades in the United Kingdom and funding for employment in local ports, including Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
The Hub ventures will build a pipeline of sustained economic activity to support employment and opportunities around the East of England. SPR will continue to collaborate closely with local councils, organisations and local colleges to improve future beneficial results for local residents, drawing on the momentum of East Anglia ONE.
“Offshore wind is now one of the cheapest forms of renewable generation and the approach we’re taking with East Anglia Hub – in conjunction with SGRE – shows just how far the industry has come and how well placed we are to deliver the Government’s 40GW target for offshore wind within the next decade.
“Taking advantage of the most innovative technology available to ensure East Anglia Hub is home to some of the biggest and most productive turbines on the market would allow us to realise even greater economies of scale, helping to deliver a cleaner and greener future for us all.
“We’ve already shown what we can achieve through our East Anglia ONE windfarm, which has been a huge success and represents one of the biggest and the most innovative offshore wind projects in the market. And not just in terms of producing green energy and helping tackle the climate emergency, but in having a positive and tangible impact on people, places and businesses. The facts really do speak for themselves and position us perfectly to emulate that success for East Anglia Hub.
“This is a really exciting time for growing the offshore industry and, with SGRE selected as our preferred bidder, we can now take our efforts to the next level – building on the investment, bespoke facilities and economic benefits we’ve already delivered to support local people and jobs to create even longer-lasting legacies that benefit people and communities across the East of England.”
Jonathan Cole, offshore managing director of Iberdrola.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Iberdrola towards the next CfD auction to potentially construct another world-leading wind power plant, the East Anglia Hub, following the successful completion of the East Anglia ONE project in 2020.
“These projects could be significant for many reasons, including the input that it will make to both the UK’s National Grid and to employment on the east coast of England. For Siemens Gamesa, the potential deployment of our most innovative offshore wind turbine would enable us to additionally aid the UK government’s plans for the green recovery by delivering clean energy and meaningful employment for years to come.”
Andreas Nauen, CEO, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
The initial 1,400 MW of power to be generated by the Hub projects via East Anglia THREE has been obtained with planning consent. Planning applications for East Anglia ONE North (800 MW) and East Anglia TWO (900 MW) are currently being reviewed by the United Kingdom Planning Inspectorate. The construction of the East Anglia Hub is scheduled to begin in 2023, with completion in 2026, according to the results of the planning considerations.
