RWE to take on operations, service & maintenance responsibilities at London Array Offshore Wind Farm

Following a competitive tender process RWE has been successful in winning the operations, service & maintenance contract at the 175 turbine, 630MW London Array Offshore Wind Farm.

Over the past year a tender process has been conducted to explore if there was a more efficient way to deliver the range of O&M services needed at London Array. This has been conducted by London Array Limited on behalf of shareholders, RWE (30%), Orsted (25%), Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ, 25%) and Masdar (20%).

RWE operates eight offshore wind farms in the UK and a further five across Europe on behalf of itself and its partners, and with over 20 years of experience RWE is well positioned to offer a high-quality service to London Array. The new services for London Array will start early 2023 and are for 10 years.

RWE is a key player in the offshore wind market in the UK, with over 1.3GW (pro rata) of operational capacity with a further 6.5GW of offshore capacity under construction or development. This includes the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm currently in construction off the coast of Lincolnshire (857MW, RWE share 59%) and the Sofia offshore wind farm (1.4GW, RWE share 100%).

RWE is progressing four extension projects in the UK, with a combined potential installed capacity of around 3.1 GW (RWE’s pro rata share: 1.6 GW). Furthermore, the company successfully bid for two new adjacent offshore sites on Dogger Bank, with a potential total installed capacity of 3 GW, in The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Round 4 Leasing auction.

Thomas Michel, Director of Offshore Wind Operations at RWE Renewables comments on the new contract: “Being selected as O&M service provider for London Array Offshore Wind Farm is a fantastic demonstration of our renewable expertise. Colleagues from across our offshore business and wider support functions all played their part in securing our success.
This demonstrates RWE as a clear leader in the industry and presents us with a great opportunity to drive performance improvements and synergies across the fleet.”

The wind farm is located 20km off the north Kent coast in the Outer Thames Estuary. London Array has a 630MW capacity and generates enough clean electricity to power around 500,000 British homes, while displacing around 900,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. It is maintained and operated from the Port of Ramsgate.

RWE is #2 in the world for offshore wind and is driving the development of the largest offshore wind pipeline in the UK. It has committed to investing €50 billion gross through to 2030 to expand its powerful and green generation capacity to 50 gigawatts, with around €15 billion earmarked for the UK.

RWE is #2 in the world for offshore wind and is driving the development of the largest offshore wind pipeline in the UK. This contract demonstrates RWE’s long history and experience in developing, building and operating some of the largest Offshore wind projects in Europe. We will work with all partners to ensure the site remains successful into the future.

Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Offshore Wind, RWE Renewables