- Three preferred bidders announced in deals totaling over £7 million
- To build the Galloper Operations & Maintenance Base and associated infrastructure
- State-of-the-art, purpose-built base
Three companies have been announced today (28th July 2017) as the preferred bidders for the Galloper Operations & Maintenance (O&M) base in deals totaling over £7 million. All of the winning bidders are UK based with two of the contracts being awarded to East coast firms. The agreements are for the construction of the Galloper offshore wind farm O&M base and its associated infrastructure at Harwich International Port.
The preferred bidders have been confirmed as Ipswich based R G Carter for the construction of the O&M building; Ipswich based Jackson Civil Engineering Group, for the construction of the access road; and Farrans Construction, for the fabrication and installation of the pontoon.
A planning application is currently being progressed for the O&M building and infrastructure; if successful and the development is given the green light, the three construction contracts will become live.
Galloper Operations & Maintenance Manager, Sean Chenery said: “The O&M base will be the hub for all of the activity to maintain and operate the wind farm over its 23 year life. Therefore these contracts and the construction of the base would signify the beginning of a major long-term investment and jobs boost for the area.”
He added: “We were very impressed with the expertise and professionalism of all of the selected preferred bidders. They will be integral to helping us deliver the state-of-the-art Galloper renewables base in Harwich.”
James Wilson, Director and General Manager at R G Carter which has been established in Essex for nearly 40 years and employs 45 people, said: “R G Carter is delighted to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this innovative project. This facility will not only benefit the local community but will also involve substantial investment into the local economy for years to come.”
A decision is expected later this Summer on the planning application for the Operations & Maintenance base.
The construction of the Galloper project, which is expected to be complete by Spring 2018, is being led on behalf of the project partners by innogy SE. Once operational the project will generate enough power for up 336,000 homes.
Energy predicted to be generated by the proposal is derived using wind speeds monitored in the local area and correlating to suitable reanalysis weather data providing longer term data. The calculations are based on an installed capacity of up to 336MW. The energy capture predicted and hence derived homes equivalent or emissions savings figures may change as further data are gathered. Equivalent homes supplied is based on an annual electricity consumption per home of 4500 kWh. This figure is supported by recent domestic electricity consumption data available from The Digest of UK Energy Statistics and household figures from the UK Statistics Authority.