Gamesa, AREVA Set Up Offshore Wind Joint Venture

Gamesa and AREVA have signed the definitive agreements and have closed the transaction for the creation of Adwen, a joint venture dedicated to offshore wind, having 700 employees, 50-50 owned by its two parent companies and registered in Zamudio, Spain.

The joint-venture is responsible for the design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and services of offshore wind turbines.

According to the two companies, Adwen is ideally positioned to become a leading player in the offshore wind segment, with a 2.8 GW project pipeline and the objective of garnering a market share of close to 20% in Europe by 2020.

The joint venture is chaired by Louis-François Durret, CEO of AREVA Renewable Energies and the Board of Directors is composed of eight members, four appointed by each parent company. The General Manager is Luis Álvarez, Chief Operating Officer of Gamesa’s offshore activities. It has corporate offices in France, Spain, the UK and Germany.

Adwen will offer a 8MW platform, initiated by AREVA and further optimized by Gamesa, which will reach serial production in 2018.

In addition, the Adwen 5MW platform will offer two complementary 5 MW turbines available for immediate projects: the AD 5-135 and AD 5-132. The AD 5-135, formerly called M5000-135, is AREVA’s 5MW technology with an installed base of 650 MW which will reach 1GW with Wikinger wind farm installation. The AD 5-132, developed by Gamesa and formerly called G132-5.0 MW Offshore, complements the product portfolio with a competitive turbine.

Adwen will manufacture these turbines in its existing plants in Germany, Bremerhaven and Stade. The company will fulfill industrial commitments engaged by AREVA and Gamesa, in France and in the UK, comprising the creation of factories in Le Havre and the implementation of a network of suppliers and partners throughout the country.

Image: AREVA