Navantia to supply Ocean Winds with floating platforms and components for offshore wind farms

The Madrid-based offshore wind energy company Ocean Winds, created as a joint venture between EDPR and ENGIE, has signed this Thursday a capacity reservation agreement with Navantia Seanergies for the manufacture of components for future offshore wind farms internationally, including floating structures for future farms in Spain, Portugal and other European countries. This agreement reinforces the company's commitment to floating offshore wind energy, not only as a key technology for the development of offshore wind energy potential, but also as a creator of economic opportunities and the promotion of Spanish industry.

The contract, signed in Madrid by the director of Navantia Seanergies, Javier Herrador, and the CEO of Ocean Winds, Bautista Rodríguez, provides for the construction of a large number of components for offshore wind between 2027 and 2031, with the possibility of extending for two more years.

The production will be mainly carried out at Navantia Seanergies' facilities in Spain, where the public company is already developing this business at its shipyards in Fene (A Coruña) and Puerto Real (Cádiz), but it will also be able to put in value other production assets in different locations, such as Navantia's facility in Brest (France) and other locations such as foreign ports in Spain or in the countries where the wind farms are located.

During this five-year period, Navantia Seanergies will deliver an average of between eight and twelve floating foundations per year, combining this type of components with others for the offshore wind farms to be developed by the company Ocean Winds. In this way, the agreement will generate an average of two million working hours per year, mainly in Fene and Puerto Real, which will translate into an average of 1,000 direct jobs, as confirmed by both companies in a joint note.

After signing this agreement, Bautista Rodríguez, CEO of Ocean Winds explained that "since the beginning of our WindFloat prototype in 2011 in Portugal, we have been convinced of the potential of the Iberian Peninsula to become a hub for the floating offshore wind energy sector. With this agreement, Ocean Winds continues its commitment to this technology and is preparing, together with our historical partner Navantia, future projects within the framework of the acceleration of the offshore wind energy objectives announced by both Spain and Portugal. These agreements are just the beginning of a promising future towards an ecological and fair energy transition in the Iberian Peninsula".

For his part, Ricardo Domínguez, president of Navantia, emphasized that "Navantia has made a firm commitment to the renewable sector, in which it began its journey nine years ago and which last year culminated with the creation of Navantia Seanergies, a specific line of business for this product and with the aspiration of being a global supplier. It is necessary to prepare for the exponential growth of offshore wind energy in the coming years. We are convinced that the agreement with Ocean Winds will have a very positive effect on the industry, as it will allow it to expand and continue to grow, to make investments with a clear focus and direction, and to develop supply chains that are ready to tackle the major challenges posed by this sector.

This agreement strengthens the collaboration between Ocean Winds, created by EDPR and ENGIE, and Navantia Seanergies, Navantia's green energy division and a major player in the construction of elements for offshore wind farms. In 2022, Ocean Winds has already awarded the Navantia-Windar consortium 14 XXL monopiles for the Moray West wind farm in the United Kingdom and 62 jackets for the Dieppe le Tréport wind farm in France, both projects currently under execution at Navantia Fene.

In addition to the above, in 2022 Ocean Winds awarded Navantia Seanergies its first turnkey (EPC) contract consisting of two substation jackets, one of them for the Dieppe le Tréport electrical substation and the second for the Îles d'Yeu et Noirmoutier wind farm, both in France. In this contract Navantia Seanergies is responsible for the design and manufacture of the structures. Both projects are being executed at Navantia Puerto Real.