Renewable energy company Ørsted has announced the award of contracts collectively worth up to £100m with UK companies.
JDR Cable Systems, Severfield and Smulders, all based in the North of England, will produce integral components and services for the Hornsea 3 wind farm on UK soil.
Severfield, headquartered in York, is the largest steel fabricator in the UK but this is their first contract on an offshore renewables energy project, marking an important step in their journey into the sector. Severfield will work with strategic key contractor Hutchinson Engineering in Widnes, site of the recent Great British Energy launch, and will undertake final assembly of key components at the Teesworks Port in Teesside. Smulders is a leading steel fabricator in the offshore wind industry, and since 2016, has operated the UK based facility in Wallsend (Newcastle).
Severfield and Smulders will supply a large proportion of secondary structures for Hornsea 3’s foundations from the UK. This includes the Suspended Internal Platforms or SIPs, key internal parts of the foundations on which the wind turbines sit. In addition they’ll build the boat landings where smaller vessels will arrive, allowing technicians to directly access the turbine foundation. They’ll also provide anode cages, which protect the steel-made foundation structure from corrosion.
North East England-based JDR won the Array Cable Testing and Termination contract. JDR will prepare and connect the cables between the turbines and offshore convertor stations and then using their state of the art testing system will ensure that all array cabling is fully integrated into the offshore electrical infrastructure and working safely.
The work on Hornsea 3 will help support more than 300 jobs across the three partners.
Hornsea 3 MD Luke Bridgman said: “We value our partnerships with local suppliers and our continued commitment to working with the UK supply chain is reinforced today with these contract announcements.
“Operating with existing suppliers like JDR and Smulders and supporting Severfields’ diversification into offshore renewables is testament to the strength of the UK supply chain and the role Hornsea 3 is playing to boost economic growth across the UK.”
