General Dynamics NASSCO Enters Offshore Wind Partnership

Navantia Seanergies, a leading Spanish offshore wind energy company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. shipyard General Dynamics NASSCO to advance offshore wind energy development in the United States, Navantia Seanergies announced this week.

Navantia Seanergies is a division of Navantia, a Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company, that specializes in developing offshore wind energy projects and providing solutions for the renewable energy industry.

Under the agreement, Navantia and General Dynamics NASSCO will collaborate to manufacture components and assemble floating foundations for offshore wind projects in the U.S. The partnership brings together the extensive experience and knowledge of Navantia in the offshore wind sector and the capabilities of the San Diego-based shipyard, as well as nearby port facilities and other locations for future offshore wind development on both the west and east coasts.

The MOU is believed to mark NASSCO’s first pursuit into the nascent offshore wind industry in the U.S.

Navantia is seeking to become a leading global supplier in the offshore wind sector, providing critical structures such as fixed and floating foundations and substations for offshore wind farms. The MOU reinforces Navantia’s commercial prospects in the U.S. market, where it already has contracts for five Module Support Structures for two offshore wind farms on the East Coast, in addition to other projects in the pipeline.

The U.S. is a key market for offshore wind power as the Biden Administration targets 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind power by 2035, while California is aiming for 25GW by 2045.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in December held the West Coast’s first offshore wind lease auction, offering five lease areas covering 373,268 total acres off of Morro Bay on the central coast and Humboldt County in northern California. The auction was the first in the nation to support commercial-scale floating offshore wind farms, which can be located in deeper waters where conditions are more favorable for energy production. The auction raised more than $757 million in high bids.

Navantia says its experience in localizing production, having successfully developed the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm’s 62 jackets in France, with part of the production carried out in the Brittany region. The company plans to duplicate the model to other locations, including the U.S.

Founded in 1960, General Dynamics NASSCO is one of the nation’s leading shipyards specializing in the construction and repair of commercial and military ships, and is the only full-service shipyard on the U.S. West Coast. It is one of the three shipyards of the Marine Systems group of the General Dynamics Corporation.

The partnership between Navantia and NASSCO represents a significant step towards the development of offshore wind energy in the United States, providing an opportunity to combine the expertise of two leading companies in the sector to help achieve the ambitious goals set by the federal government and state authorities.

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up