2023-05-15 18:16:41
The industry of the Cantabrian coast, from Galicia until Asturias is taking hold in the territories of Europe’s industrial elite. Specifically, in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, where the most prosperous European Offshore industry develops thanks to the monopiles, foundations and metallic structures that are built in Galician and Asturian companies.
Europe wants to lead the energy transition and north of spain it could be the spearhead of the so-called ‘green revolution’. And it is that on the Cantabrian coast Iberdrola, the world leader in renewable energy companies, has the projects and the driving companies that will position the continent as a model of decarbonization. From Galicia, Asturias and the Basque Country, the Spanish multinational is positioned at a European level as a driving force in the manufacture of components that will promote European leadership.
The alliance of the electric company with Navantia, in Ferrol, and with Windar, in Asturias, has allowed the most important parts in their offshore wind projects that the electric company has in Germany, France or the United Kingdom to be manufactured from these two regions. The Winkinger (Germany), Saint Brieuc (France) or East Anglia (United Kingdom) offshore wind farms originate in northern Spain. In this way, Galicia, Asturias and the Basque Country lead, through Iberdrola, the manufacture of the most innovative components in Offshore construction.
Navantia Seanergies and Windar will manufacture for Iberdrola 45 monopiles for the East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm. This is the largest contract for this type of foundation for Navantia-Windar to date. Production will take place at the Navantia and Windar monopiles factory located in the Fene shipyard (A Coruña).
When it goes live in 2026, The park where the monopiles will be installed will have a generation capacity of 1,400 MW, enough to supply clean energy to 1.3 million homes.
With this new order, Navantia Seanergies-Windar reinforces its position in this product line and strengthens a relationship of more than nine years with the Spanish companywhich has contracts worth more than 1,000 million euros, with orders for Iberdrola’s offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the United States.
The Basque company Haizea Wind also participates in this Offshore park, with which Iberdrola has just signed an agreement of more than 200 million euros for Haizea Bilbao to supply 50 monopiles to the East Anglia Three offshore wind farm in the United Kingdom, developed by the British subsidiary of the electric company, Scottish Power, from its facilities in the Port of Biscay.
with this contractHaizea Wind Group completes a workload in Bilbao that exceeds 1,500 million euros for the next 4 years and represents an important recognition of its technological and productive capacities. The 50 monopiles that Haizea Wind Group will manufacture for Iberdrola will serve to support the wind turbines of the East Anglia Three offshore wind farm in the United Kingdom. In total, said park will have a capacity of 1.4 GW and will supply clean energy to more than one million British homes.
As stated in the signed contract, Haizea Bilbao will be in charge of the supply of materials, engineering of the manufacturing process and manufacturing of the monopiles. This contract and the expansion of Haizea’s capacity in the Port of Bilbao are aligned with the strategic growth plan of Haizea Wind Groupwhich includes the goal of becoming one of the most important players in the offshore wind energy value chain and, more specifically, securing a relevant position within offshore foundation manufacturing and supply companies.
The Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm in the French country is another example of the strength of the industry on the shores of the Cantabrian. 40% of the offshore wind platforms that will support the wind turbines are manufactured by Navantia in Fene.
1,250 jobs in Avilés and Fene
The contract for the construction of Saint-Brieuc – valued at 350 million euros – has been the largest order to date executed by the association of Navantia and Windar in offshore wind. This project has led to the generation of 1,250 direct jobs in Avilés and Fene.
Besides, Navantia-Windar has opened a plant in Brest, France, where the 186 stabbings have been manufactured and intermediate platforms for the transition pieces, and the lattice structure for 34 of the 62 structures in the park, generating 250 jobs.
Thanks to the contracts awarded by the second electricity company in the world, Navantia has become a global benchmark in the construction of components for marine wind and the first supplier of this type of structures in France, with one of the greatest development potentials in this industry in Europe.
The Saint Brieuc offshore wind farm project is a clear example of the driving force of this Spanish multinational through suppliers and the strength of the value chain of Spanish industries.
The maintenance ship for the Breton offshore wind farm has been built at the Balenciaga shipyards in Zumaia (Basque Country). It is worth noting the union of Iberdrola, world leader in green energy, with Siemens Gamesa, number one manufacturer of wind turbines, which provides the windmills and is in charge of maintaining the offshore wind farm and a century-old shipyard in the Basque Country, Balenciaga. In this shipyard, an SOV ship (Operation Services Vessel in its acronym in English) was launched, which will be in charge of providing technical support to the park.
The Edda Wind, 83.4 meters long and almost 19 meters wide and built in Zumaia, will be in charge of transferring maintenance technicians to parks that are further away -more than 60 kilometers from the coast- and who stay for two weeks at the marine facility.
But, in addition, the European renewable future has another pillar in Asturias. Photovoltaic energy. The Bilbao-based company and the Asturian business group Exiom have created an alliance to lead the manufacture of photovoltaic solar panels in Spain. Thus, both companies will locate in the Asturian municipality of Langreo the first large photovoltaic construction plant in our country and one of the first on an industrial scale in Europe. The solar panel factory in the mining basin will come into operation this year, 2023.
The agreement with Exiom responds to the effort undertaken by Iberdrola to attract part of the value chain linked to renewable energies to our country. Specifically, solar energy. The objective is to turn Spain into a spearhead to lead this emerging sector from Europe. The Asturian region of Langreo will host the site for the construction of what will become the first large PV factory in Spain. The planned investment is 20 million euros and will contribute to the economic reactivation of the mining basins with the generation of 115 direct jobs in the area. Exiom is also a manufacturer with 100% Spanish capital, originating in Asturias itself, and one of the only European groups to appear on the prestigious list of Tier 1 manufacturers.
The opening of this new factory in Europe responds to the interest of both companies in achieving competitive manufacturing at the EU level, focused in a first phase on solar panels with the possibility of extending collaboration to other components of the photovoltaic value chain.. In addition, the initiative reinforces the commitment of both companies to the industrialization associated with the energy transition, as reflected in the ‘Green Deal Industrial Plan’, recently presented by the European Commission.
With all these projects, The Cantabrian Sea is positioned as a strategic place to conquer a self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable Europe, thanks to Iberdrola’s commitment to its local industries and suppliers. The historic opportunity for these territories to get on the train of the 100% green economy, of reindustrialization in a renewable key, is a reality thanks to the projects of the Spanish company.
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