SEPI Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales

• This electrical distribution facility, with an 8.500 Tons weight – heavier than the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty put together – will constitute the energy heart of the Wikinger offshore wind farm, a 350 Megawatt renewable energy project which Iberdrola is developing in German waters and whose total budget amounts to 1,400 M€
• At the ceremony were present, besides Iberdrola’s and NAVANTIA’s Chairmen, Mr. Ignacio Galán, and Mr. José Manuel Revuelta, respectively, the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Mr. Miguel Arias Cañete

Iberdrola, 50 Hertz and NAVANTIA have celebrated today the event for the delivery of the substation christened as Andalucía, and which is destined to Iberdrola’s German wind farm, Wikinger, whose global budget amounts to 1,400 M€, and which has been completely built by NAVANTIA at its shipyard in Puerto Real. 

The event was attended, among many other important figures, the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Mr. Miguel Arias Cañete; Iberdrola’s Chairman, Mr. Ignacio Galán; and his counterpart in NAVANTIA, Mr. José Manuel Revuelta. The President of the regional Government of Andalusia, Ms. Susana Díaz, acted as the person who launched this significant energy facility.

During the ceremony, which took place this afternoon at the above mentioned facilities which NAVANTIA has in the province of Cadiz, was successfully delivered on time this modernist electrical distribution facility, with a weight of around 8,500 Tons, and made up by the substation, the jackets and the piles – heavier than the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty put together, and which will be transported by sea to German waters along this August.

The Andalucía substation will become the energy heart of the offshore wind farm which Iberdrola is developing on the Baltic Sea, since it will be in charge of collecting all the energy produced by its wind turbines located at the high sea, enough for covering the electricity needs of 350,000 German households and preventing the emission to the atmosphere of almost 600,000 Tons of CO2 each year, and get it ready for its transport to solid ground.

This is a great engineering work, which has been designed by Iberdrola to withstand the extreme weather conditions which it will have to bear, and it is made up by two sections or superstructures, which will be used by Iberdrola and by 50Hertz, the electrical system’s operator in this part of Germany. It is worthwhile to point out that around 700 employees have worked on this project and that, thanks to this initiative, NAVANTIA has entered into such a promising business industry as the offshore wind energy.

Iberdrola plays a “pull effect” on Spanish companies

In his speech, Mr. Galán stressed the “pull effect” which Iberdrola has on Spanish companies through this renewable initiative: “The important role played by Spanish industry in this project is reflected by the construction of the substation and of its platform at these NAVANTIA’s shipyards; of the 29 jackets for the wind turbines at the shipyards which NAVANTIA has at the Ferrol Inlet; of the piles which will anchor these platforms, as well as of the towers for the turbines, in Avilés, by the Asturian company Windar, and finally of the wind turbines by Gamesa. In the case of Puerto Real, the implementation of the contract has given work to hundreds of persons, and on it have taken part more than 120 local companies as suppliers”.

In turn, Mr. Revuelta highlighted that “this contract places NAVANTIA as the constructor of reference for offshore structures for offshore wind farms, a growth industry in Europe, mostly in the United Kingdom and in Germany. Besides, it allows NAVANTIA to diversify its offer and provides work in an industry which is supplementary to shipbuilding”.

The Wikinger offshore wind farm will have a 350 MW installed capacity, as a result of the installment of 70 wind turbines, each with a 5 MW capacity, on a site which covers around 34 square kilometers. It is being developed by Iberdrola on the Baltic Sea, where sea depth ranges between 37 and 43 meters, and it is envisaged to start operating at the end of next year.

Technical features of the substation

• 90,000 hours of engineering employed on designing it.
• The first offshore substation ever built with two topsides.
• The first substation ever designed using a six pre-piloted legged jacket.
• Substation with a completely automated and remote-controlled operational capacity.
• It has a steel structure almost 2.3 times heavier than that of a combined cycle power station (4,550 Tons vs. 2,000 Tons).
• The wiring installed is almost five times longer than that of an inland substation (150 Kilometers vs. 32 Kilometers).

About Iberdrola

With a history of more than 170 years, Iberdrola is nowadays one of the biggest electricity utilities in the world and a referent in renewable energies: it produces and supplies electricity to around 100 Million persons in those countries in which it is present.

After the deep transformation underwent along the last 15 years, Iberdrola is now the first European electricity company and one of the biggest in the world in terms of its stock value. This is the result of the combination of a corporate vision with which the company anticipated the industry’s trends, with a strategy for implementing it, a successful implementation, and of the ethical values which always guide the Group’s behavior.

On the basis of all of the above, Iberdrola is dealing with a new period of growth and with a strong investment cycle from 2016 to 2020, basically in regulated businesses or with long-term contracts, which will provide the security, stability, and visibility which characterize the Company’s business model. Iberdrola will keep its social commitment, acting as an engine for growth and employment in those countries in which it is present, generating sustainable value for all its stakeholders.

About NAVANTIA

NAVANTIA connstitutes a world reference in the design, construction and integration of warships with a high-technological content, as well as ship repairs and upgrades. Besides, its activity lines include the design and manufacturing of combat and command and control systems, integrated platform management systems, firing control systems, propulsion engines and the Life Cycle Support for all its products. Although its main activity is in the naval field, NAVANTIA also designs and manufactures systems for the Army and the Air Force. 

NAVANTIA belongs to Grupo SEPI, a corporate holding which includes a total of 16 state-owned companies in which it has direct, majority shareholding participations, with a workforce of around 73,000 professionals in 2014; the Spanish state-owned television and radio corporation, Corporación Radiotelevisión Española, which is attached to SEPI, and one public foundation. Equally, SEPI has direct minority shareholdings in a further ten companies, and indirect shareholdings in more than one hundred companies.