Port of Esbjerg will step up its involvement in the offshore wind industry with the set-up of pre-assembly sites for the upcoming projects. It is already involved in 55 projects and “now is the time to be even more proactive” according to the Port of Esbjerg CEO, Dennis Jul Pedersen.

“We believe that establishing our own pre-assembly sites and making them available to be leased by our clients, will prepare our port for the future. It is an example of how we wish to provide optimal flexibility for our clients and partners,” says Pedersen.

The offshore wind activities are expected to surge significantly in activity over the next decade and this puts a strain on the installation ports of Europe. In 2021, WindEurope pointed out that upscaling Europe’s port infrastructure is critical for the development of offshore wind. Port Esbjerg plays a key role as an installation port serving these markets and understand the various needs from the developers and equipment manufacturers.

The future pre-assembly sites in Port Esbjerg will cater to the new and larger turbine installation vessels and the bigger components that need to be assembled directly on the quayside while at the same time giving space for supporting activities and lay-down areas.

The future wind farms will be beyond 1 GW in capacity and the efficiency of installation needs to continue improving. This means that the most efficient installation ports will have the capacity to store all the major components for an offshore complete. This requires vast lay-down areas, which can be leased on project basis.

One of the leading onshore and offshore manufacturers of wind turbines, Siemens Gamesa, has been involved in the development of the setup and Anders Midskov, Port Operations Manager for Siemens Gamesa in Esbjerg adds, “Over many years, Siemens Gamesa and Port Esbjerg have had a very professional and fruitful collaboration on the pre-assembly of wind turbines for offshore wind farms. For the port’s future infrastructure, we appreciate that the port has involved us early on to get our input for the ideal future setup, and it has had a significant positive impact for Siemens Gamesa’s operations at the port. We look forward to continuing working together with Port of Esbjerg, where Siemens Gamesa will pre-assemble and install 1.8 GW over the next roughly two years.”