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.