Contractors chasing the wind
Domestic construction groups have taken battle stations to claim the largest possible share of the offshore wind farm market.
Acknowledging that this is an unexplored new category of energy production from renewables, with very significant growth prospects, most contractors are trying to form the best possible alliances to be as competitive as possible in view of the opening of this market by the state.
In this context, a decisive role will be played by alliances with foreign groups that specialize in this specific project category. Therefore, 18 months ago, Terna Energy sealed a strategic alliance with Ocean Winds, a joint venture of the EDP Renewables (Portugal) and ENGIE (France) groups. The aim is to develop projects with a capacity of more than 1.5 gigawatts over a decade. Today, Ocean Winds has a broad portfolio consisting of 1.5 GW of projects under construction and 4 GW under development, with a target of 5 to 7 GW in operation or under construction, as well as 5 to 10 GW to hit advanced growth stages before 2025.
Mytilineos has set up a joint scheme with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), with the Greek group having a 40% stake. Recently, the collaboration between Intrakat and Belgian Parkwind also became known, and that is not expected to change, despite the ownership change in the Greek construction group. Parkwind is seeking to expand its presence outside Belgium, with 10 years of experience to date, through the development and management of 771 MW of offshore wind farms in the Belgian North Sea. At the same time, it is in the process of adding an additional 1.1 GW to its portfolio.
In addition to the above groups, action should also be expected from Ellaktor in the coming months, while Avax does not seem to have any intention of positioning itself in this market, focusing on construction and concession projects.
At the same time, important moves have also been made by the Copelouzos Group, which has partnered with RF Energy, as well as Motor Oil, which collaborates with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company.
