Balfour Beatty has signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian energy industry services provider Aker Solutions.
The new partnership is aims to deliver end-to-end design and construction solutions for the concrete, floating and gravity-based UK offshore wind industry.
The new partners say they will use their combined skills, resources and experience to offer a ‘whole life solution’ for the offshore wind industry.
Stephen Tarr, chief executive officer of Balfour Beatty’s Major Projects business, said: “We are delighted to partner with Aker Solutions to respond to this requirement for increased offshore generation.
“This builds on decades of experience of constructing complex structures, most recently demonstrated by the production of large marine concrete components for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.”
Jason Brown, Aker Solutions’ Head of Renewables in the UK, said: “Offshore wind has a pivotal role to play in increasing our use of renewable energy, which in turn is essential to achieving energy security and reducing carbon emissions.
“Only by moving further out to sea in deeper waters, can we achieve the UK’s ambitious 50 GW target for offshore wind deployment.
“Concrete floating and gravity-based foundations are an excellent solution for offshore wind in the North Sea. They provide the level of performance needed in challenging sea conditions, demand high levels of local content and can be less carbon intensive than other go-to foundation solutions”.
The partners have established a joint taskforce with key personnel from both organisations responsible for identifying future opportunities.
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