By Richard Reitz

Denmark-based Semco Maritime and ISC Consulting Engineers, along with WSP USA, have announced a partnership that will combine Semco Maritime and ISC’s offshore wind farm and substation engineering and construction experience with WSP’s expertise in U.S. offshore wind permitting and engineering.

The three firms have previously worked together on multiple U.S. offshore projects, where the team has optimized the connection of offshore wind farms to onshore power grids and provided specialized engineering services for offshore high-voltage power substations. Together, the firms are already working on a number of projects, most recently for Mayflower Wind, and forming this alliance allows the firms to collaborate more effectively.

The team aims to help clients in the procurement and delivery of offshore wind projects, growing the availability of this renewable energy source for American homes and businesses. “We developed our relationship through joint business opportunities where we could see that a winning factor was the ability to marry offshore wind experience with local knowledge,” says Tommy Flindt, director of engineering and technology, offshore wind, Semco Maritime. “Over the past year, this has grown into a strong partnership, and we aim to make this collaboration available to as many clients as possible.”

“Offshore wind developments are the future of renewable energy in the United States, and launch a broad business off our shores,” adds Matt Palmer, vice president at WSP and leader of the firm’s offshore wind practice. “By combining our three companies’ unique off-shore wind capabilities, we are better positioned to help our clients move these critical projects forward.”

“As pioneers in offshore wind, ISC designed the world’s first substation for an offshore wind farm, and since 2003, ISC has provided detailed engineering design for more than 35 offshore substations. We wanted to continue this legacy for the evolving U.S. offshore wind industry by offering our unique experience to create value for clients in the U.S. market,” says Anders Thomsen, director of offshore wind at ISC. “Integrating local knowledge in the design teams is essential to realize safe, reliable, and cost-effective offshore wind project designs. The strong relationship with WSP USA and Semco Maritime has proven a perfect match for the U.S. market.”

Semco Maritime and ISC Consulting Engineers have been part of the offshore wind industry since the early 2000s through engineer-procure-construct (EPC) projects with long-term partners Bladt Industries and engineering design services directly to wind farm owners. This has also come through offshore engineering studies related to high-voltage transmission; offshore foundations; substation structures; health, safety, and the environment; geotechnical aspects; meteorology; and high-voltage cabling. WSP USA provides technical, consulting, and regulatory support services to assist developers in planning, implementing, and operating renewable energy projects, including onshore and offshore wind farms. The firm’s expertise includes geotechnical, civil and structural engineering; renewable generation, transmission and distribution system design; wind resource assessment; and equipment and process quality assurance.

Semco Maritime is an international engineering and contracting company dedicated to projects in the energy sector. For more than 30 years, they have facilitated the design, fabrication, service, and maintenance of customer assets, providing comprehensive project management across all phases of energy projects. This ranges from turnkey engineering solutions to outsourcing of personnel and delivery of components, systems, and solutions. Semco Maritime has 1,200 employees and branches in Denmark, Norway, the UK, Singapore, Australia, Central America, and the United States. For further information, see www.semcomaritime.com.

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, an engineering and professional services firm. Dedicated to serving local communities, they are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors, and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water, and environment sectors. The firm has more than 9,000 people in 100 offices across the United States. For more information, visit www.wsp.com

ISC Consulting Engineers is an engineering services company based in Denmark working worldwide on engineering solutions for offshore projects. ISC has been in offshore wind since it designed the world’s first offshore substation almost 20 years ago. ISC provides engineering design service solutions in sectors such as offshore wind, onshore and offshore oil and gas, buildings, energy, industry, and infrastructure. ISC is based in Denmark with its head office in Copenhagen and has 250 employees. For more information, visit www.isc.dk