The AF Group, Dr.techn.Olav Olsen and Lyse are teaming up to establish a new company that will develop foundations for offshore wind turbines.
The objective of the new company, called ViciVentus (which is Latin for “I conquered the wind”) www.viciventus.no, is to deliver pre-assembled wind turbines offshore. The company will draw on Olav Olsen’s expertise in construction and engineering, the AF Group’s strengths within contracting and project management, and Lyse’s experience in developing and implementing major energy projects. ViciVentus will make use of competencies that have evolved over several decades in the North Sea to develop, build and install cost-effective foundations for wind turbines.
Prior to establishment of the company, the parties have been collaborating on developing foundation designs that are competitive for a variety of different depths and seabed conditions, construction sites and installation methods. The company will offer a number of foundation designs with different qualities suitable for different applications.
ViciVentus has designed a unique, patent-pending concrete substructure based on techniques used in oil rigs. The concrete substructure can be assembled with the tower and turbine inshore. The substructure has been designed to tolerate the weight of the entire wind turbine during towing out to the wind farm offshore. On arrival at the final destination, the base is simply filled with water to anchor the preassembled windmill to the seabed. Experience from oil and gas rigs has shown that concrete substructures have a long lifetime and require almost no maintenance.
“In this project, the AF Group is tapping into its expertise and experience from building industrial works and onshore wind power plants,” says Pål Egil Rønn, CEO of the AF Group.
Major international activity
Investments in energy production from offshore wind turbines are growing rapidly in Europe and elsewhere. The United Kingdom and Germany are leading the way, but there is a great deal of activity in this area in other countries too. In the United Kingdom, for example, some NOK 500 billion is being invested to build approx. 5,000 wind turbines offshore over the next 15–20 years. At the same time, developers of offshore wind farms face massive technical and commercial challenges. They have to operate in tough climatic conditions, the projects are complex, and the financial commitment is considerable.
“The Norwegian supplier industry is particularly well positioned to meet these challenges. Lyse wants to create a spearhead that will allow this industry access to the offshore wind energy markets developing in the United Kingdom and elsewhere,” says Arne Aamodt, Production Manager at Lyse.
“An industrial approach is a must in order to develop the best, most competitive solutions for offshore wind farms. The products and the processes must be optimalised throughout the entire value chain. We regard our involvement in ViciVentus with AF and Lyse as a response to these challenges. Our aim is that through its solutions, ViciVentus will play an active part in developing the market for offshore wind power,” says Olav Weider, Director, Business Development at Dr.techn.Olav Olsen.
ViciVentus will have its head office in Stavanger. Robert Haugen from the AF Group will be chairman of the board. Tor Ole Olsen from Dr.techn.Olav Olsen and Bjørn Roger Otterdal from Lyse will be board members.
Contacts:
Olav Weider, Director, Business Development, Dr.techn.Olav Olsen, tel. +47 67 82 80 02
Wibecke Brusdal, Director Corporate Communication, AF Group, tel. +47 930 93 150
Øystein Huglen, Senior Business Developer, Lyse, tel. +47 95 25 07 82
The AF Group is a listed entrepreneurial and industrial group with an annual turnover of almost NOK 6 billion and more than 2000 employees. Our business includes Civil Engineering, Building, Property, Environment and Energy. AF has always been independent and proud of its own strength and ability to master complex challenges. Our entrepreneurial spirit is distinguished by a willingness to think differently and to seek better, more future-oriented ways of generating value. See www.afgruppen.no
Dr.techn.Olav Olsen is one of Norway’s top consultancies in structural engineering and marine technology, and a world leader within conceptual design of offshore concrete structures. See www.olavolsen.no
Lyse is an industrial enterprise within energy and telecommunications. Operations include production and sales of energy and telecommunications products, and development and operation of infrastructure. The group’s head office and principal market are in the southern part of Rogaland County, but it also delivers broadband services to business partners throughout Norway. Lyse has 800 employees and an annual turnover of approx. NOK 4.4 billion. www.lyse.no
Publisert:9/8/2009
