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Certex UK scores Seagreen contract

4C Offshore | Tom Russell
By: Tom Russell 20/09/2022 Certex

UK-based Certex UK has won a major framework to supply statutory inspection and maintenance of Balance of Plant (BoP) equipment at the
Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, located off the coast of Angus in the North Sea firth. The framework is for three years, plus a two-year extension.

Here, BoP covers detailed infrastructure design and supply of all parts of the wind farm (except turbines), including towers, foundations, buildings, electrical systems between turbines, and the onshore demarcation point between the wind farm and the grid. Certex UK’s work will primarily relate to the transition jackets in addition to personal protective equipment (PPE), including fall arrest systems; davit cranes; anchor points; and ladders.


Certex UK, which will also deliver services to an operations and maintenance site in Montrose, will commit a two-person team, working in rotation via a service operation vessel (SOV) covering offshore scopes all year round.


Terry Hoenes, divisional manager—renewables, at Certex UK, said: “We provide a rounded service offering of statutory inspection and maintenance works employing well-trained and competent engineers. Unlike many renewables statutory inspection companies, Certex is fundamentally a lifting engineering business and has access to a significant product stock with global supply chain agreements and employed technical experts.”


Certex UK—the company also holds the full turbine and BoP statutory inspection contract for the Greater Gabbard wind farm, covering 140 turbines—is part of the Lifting Solutions Group, one of six divisions within the Axel Johnson International business.

Hoenes added: “We have established an excellent working relationship with SSE in recent years; our Great Yarmouth facility is ideally placed to service the Greater Gabbard wind farm operating out of the Port of Lowestoft and our Montrose facility is situated within a five minute walk of the Seagreen base—keeping the work local to the area. Weather can cause issues in this region so downtime can be high leading to tight campaign targets. Most wind farm work tends to be seasonal, but the advantage of this contract is the all-year-round support required.”


Lifting Solutions has 22 companies with over 100 locations worldwide, with the renewable energy sector largely being served to date from the UK and Denmark. However, a newly launched global renewables division incorporates additional companies in Germany, Spain, France, China, and the United States, which has recently pivoted towards wind energy.


“The wind industry growth for us is continually accelerating and we need to ensure we have the resources to accept all of the opportunities that present themselves,” said Hoenes. “To counter this, we have implemented an ambitious growth strategy so we can better align with the potential this market is offering globally.”


Seagreen Offshore Windfarm is a joint venture owned by SSE Renewables and Total Energies. The wind farm is located in the outer Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay region of the North Sea, approximately 17.5 nautical miles East-southeast of the Port of Montrose, where the project Marine Coordination Centre (MCC) is located for both construction and O&M.

It will consist of 114 Vestas
V164-10.0 MW turbines, the first of which was installed in December 2021. At 1.1 GW, it is one of Scotland’s largest renewable energy projects. The wind farm is expected to be capable of generating around 5,000 GWh of renewable energy annually, enough electricity to power more than 1.6 million UK homes.  

SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction of the Seagreen project and will operate the project on completion for its expected 25-year lifetime.



For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here. Alternatively, you can view projects across the globe using 4C Offshore's Interactive Map.

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