Investors gear up for floating wind

Swiss construction company, Implenia, has agreed with NorSea, a privately owned industrial group majority owned by Wilh. Wilhemsen, to become equal minority shareholders in WindWorks Jelsa, an industrial plant on Norway’s west coast, with holdings of about 41% each. Implenia focuses on large, complex infrastructure and specialises in renewable energy.

WindWorks Jelsa was set up in 2020 on Norway’s west coast by NorSea, Suldal municipality, Ryfylke IKS, with Norsk Stein as a partner. The restructuring, together with a new shareholders’ agreement, is intended to underpin the development of a production and assembly facility at the site for large concrete or steel structures and floating wind turbines. Eventually, the plant could be producing components capable of supplying annual capacity of one gigawatt, enough for up to four million households for a year.

The project will be developed in stages between now and 2032, the companies said, and will result in a production and assembly area of 800,000m2. It will include warehouses, workshops, purpose-designed launching systems, and heavy-load quays.

Implenia’s Civil Engineering Division head, Christian Späth, commented: “The floating offshore wind industry is an exciting new field where Implenia can contribute its longstanding experience and broad expertise, based on its values – sustainability, excellence, agility, and collaboration. The production of floating wind turbines is going to be essential for a successful transition towards renewable energy.”

Windworks Jelsa’s chairman, Geir Ims, noted the importance of the agreements. “Strengthening the WindWorks Jelsa team with expertise and innovative power from Implenia for the development of cost-effective serial production of large concrete structures will increase the competitiveness of WindWorks Jelsa as well as of the Norwegian supply industry and provide great export opportunities,” he said.