Bard Offshore finished this summer
After two years of delays in construction, the completion of Germany’s largest offshore wind farm is within reach. A concrete finish line is now clear, at least for the installation of the last wind turbines.
By mid-August, all 80 turbines will be installed in the North Sea wind farm, Bard Offshore 1, says consulting firm Hanseatic Offshore Group (HOG). The Brave Tern, an installation ship from offshore logistics company Fred Olsen Windcarrier of Oslo, “is currently busy installing the last nine turbines,” said Oliver Klein, one of the CEOs of the two-man company HOG.
Fred Olsen installing the last wind turbines. The technicians and installers are provided by Global Wind Service A/S, who share Bonheur ASA and Ganger Rolf ASA as the main shareholders with the Norwegians. HOG is currently overseeing the installation of the last Bard turbines.
HOG’s CEOs Oliver Klein and Mario Liguori have a contract with Bard and Fred Olsen. They oversaw the later approval process of BSH, so that the Brave Tern could support the construction of the wind farm. “Currently, we are responsible for the installation of the remaining turbines. Bard is handling the mechanical and electrical implementation itself,” said Klein. To complete turbine installation, in addition to the Brave Tern, the installer ships JB 115, JB 117 and Wind Lift 1 are en route to the wind farm. With two complete sets of turbines, towers, nacelles, and rotor stars, the Brave Tern is the strongest construction vessel currently in use. The other construction vessels also perform other tasks, such as retracting wire and mounting the boat landings.
For Oliver Klein and Mario Liguori, Bard Offshore marks the first major project for them as independent contractors in the offshore business. At the end of July, they want to report positive results with Fred Olsen, and then they can carry out other construction projects. “The industry needs professionals that can bring the offshore project developer’s fantasy into reality. We also need to show politicians that offshore wind can work, but to do this you need to have something already complete," said Oliver Klein.
Before starting HOG in the summer of 2012, Klein and Liguori worked in project and quality management at the offshore wind developer Windreich AG. Before that, Mario Liguori was Bard’s site manager for the installation of the wind farm’s first tripile.
HOG is not involved with implementing the turbines at Bard Offshore 1, but Oliver Klein says spring 2014 is a realistic goal for the connection of the project to the grid. (Denny Gille / Craig Morris)
