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So all those things we’ll be carrying
Setting world-class standards in terms of how we build these facilities is really critical, and we’re already getting the right people involved – and all those skills are available in the UK.
over into our UK plans, and in terms of the manufacturing process, we’ll be incorporating them into our design. We’re making sure we’re future-proofing the facilities too, so they can accommodate not just the current turbines but also future generations as well.
What are the vital next steps for you in the UK? The timeliness of the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) is important because we’re looking to make investments back to back with market confidence; and the market confidence will be derived from confirmation of the market reform. That obviously has to be
build these facilities is really critical, and we’re already getting the right people involved – and all those skills are available in the UK.
You’ve talked about the ‘magic combination’ of automotive mindset, O&G technology and aerospace performance as being key to the success of offshore wind. Will you be setting up a manufacturing base here, and how do you plan to draw from the UK talent pool? We haven’t yet finalised the location for our manufacturing base, but back to back with winning orders our strategic plan is to have a manufacturing location in the UK as part of our contribution to the UK
Larger turbines such as your M5000 are still relatively new. Have there been any key lessons learnt from your installation in German waters that you would bring to your UK activities? Many, many lessons! We’re still learning them because we’re working now on our full-scale commercial projects in Germany. There’s lots of lessons in terms of how you do things safely, how you plan your different resources, where the bottlenecks
backed by a government commitment to renewables as a major part of its energy portfolio. We then need support for consenting of wind farms and associated production facilities – that creates the confidence in the market and then we can start to win contracts and supply the turbines.
We do a precommissioning test on every turbine on land. It’s a part of our production process that’s unique to us.
and constraints are; and then increasingly as we go on we’re starting to think, how do you optimise things – reduce lead times, make things slicker, optimise the way you move things, don’t handle them too many times, and so on.
In terms of supply chain capability, Areva is identifying potential partners who are either already in the UK and diversifying into the wind industry or who will come to the UK to work with us.
market. The shortlist is already fairly small,
One of the most obvious examples is the
Those suppliers will become critical to the
and in terms of our planning of that magic
commissioning of a test bench: we do a
cost optimisation of offshore wind. They
combination, we’re already talking to UK
pre-commissioning test on every turbine
need confidence in volume so that they
suppliers and partners who bring some of
on land. It’s a part of our production
can invest, and then local sourcing will
those combinations of different industry
process that’s unique to us, and that’s as
both create economic benefit and deliver
experience and perspective to what we’re
a direct result of the experience we’ve had
lower costs for the wind farm. So there’s
trying to do. My particular passion is for
in putting turbines offshore. It’s a really
a ‘positive spiral’ in terms of everything
manufacturing and the economic benefit
useful thing to be able to do, to test your
starting to benefit – all built on this
arising from renewables, and so setting
turbine at full-rated power before you take
confidence. Confidence is right at
world-class standards in terms of how we
it out to sea.
the heart of it. Wind&WaveCONNECT
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