Certex UK Wins Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm Framework

Doncaster, UK-based Certex UK has won a major framework to supply statutory inspection and maintenance of Balance of Plant (BoP) equipment at the 114-turbine, 1,075MW Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, located off the coast of Angus in the North Sea firth. The framework, won via tender, is for three years, plus a two-year extension.

A £3 billion joint venture between TotalEnergies (51%) and SSE Renewables (49%), Seagreen, located approx. 17 miles offshore, will be Scotland’s largest and the world’s deepest fixed bottom offshore wind farm. It will provide enough green energy to power more than 1.6 million homes. V164-10 MW turbines have been positioned on each of the 114 bases. First power was recently announced.

Here, BoP covers detailed infrastructure design and supply of all parts of the wind farm (except turbines), including towers, foundations, buildings, electrical systems between turbines, and the onshore demarcation point between the wind farm and the grid. Certex UK’s work will primarily relate to the transition jackets in addition to personal protective equipment (PPE), including fall arrest systems; davit cranes; anchor points; and ladders.

Certex UK, which will also deliver services to an operations and maintenance site in Montrose, will commit a two-person team, working in rotation via a service operation vessel (SOV) covering offshore scopes all year round. The company will leverage resources from its own Montrose facility.

Terry Hoenes, divisional manager—renewables, at Certex UK, said: “We provide a rounded service offering of statutory inspection and maintenance works employing well-trained and competent engineers. Unlike many renewables statutory inspection companies, Certex is fundamentally a lifting engineering business and has access to a significant product stock with global supply chain agreements and employed technical experts.”

Certex UK—the company also holds the full turbine and BoP statutory inspection contract for the Greater Gabbard wind farm, covering 140 turbines—is part of the Lifting Solutions Group, one of six divisions within the Axel Johnson International business. Certex provides products and services to various stakeholders within the wind energy sector, including companies that manage either the installation of new wind farms, or the service and maintenance of existing sites.

Hoenes added: “We have established an excellent working relationship with SSE in recent years; our Great Yarmouth facility is ideally placed to service the Greater Gabbard wind farm operating out of the Port of Lowestoft and our Montrose facility is situated within a five minute walk of the Seagreen base—keeping the work local to the area. Weather can cause issues in this region so downtime can be high leading to tight campaign targets. Most wind farm work tends to be seasonal, but the advantage of this contract is the all-year-round support required.”

Lifting Solutions has 22 companies with over 100 locations worldwide, with the renewable energy sector largely being served to date from the UK and Denmark. However, a newly launched global renewables division incorporates additional companies in Germany, Spain, France, China, and the United States, which has recently pivoted towards wind energy.

“The wind industry growth for us is continually accelerating and we need to ensure we have the resources to accept all of the opportunities that present themselves,” said Hoenes. “To counter this, we have implemented an ambitious growth strategy so we can better align with the potential this market is offering globally.”