The cable manufacturer Prysmian Finland will supply the undersea cable. Construction of the wind farm will begin in April with the seabed preparation works.

Jan De Nul NV from Belgium, which carries out marine construction and offshore installation works in the energy industry all over the world, will be responsible for dredging, seabed preparation work, and the installation of foundations and wind turbines. The work will take place over the next two summer seasons.

For the first time in Finland, a four-legged jack-up vessel more than 100 metres long will be used in the installation of the wind turbines. Jan De Nul Group has worked in the Baltic Sea before, building an offshore wind farm in Kårehamn, Sweden, in 2013.

“Competence, modern technology and references were the key criteria in the selection of the main contractor for marine construction,” says Arto Huhmarkangas, Project Director, Tahkoluoto Offshore at Suomen Hyötytuuli Oy. “Jan De Nul NV is proud to be selected by Suomen Hyötytuuli Oy to play a key role in the construction of this first offshore wind farm in Finland” added Peter De Pooter, Manager Offshore Renewables within Jan De Nul Group.

Approximately 14 kilometres of a 30-kilovolt undersea cable will be installed on the seabed. The cable is manufactured in Finland by Prysmian Finland.

Construction of the Tahkoluoto offshore wind farm now has five international suppliers involved in the project, Siemens, Technip, ABB, Prysmian, and Jan De Nul NV. The world’s first offshore wind farm designed for icy conditions will have ten 4 MW turbines that will be taken in use during the autumn of 2017.

They include the development of a complete supply chain, or SOHAR Dry Bulk Logistics Corridor, that will immediately enable the export of minerals that are mined and processed in Oman to international markets at competitive prices.

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SOHAR Port and Freezone, Vale in Oman’s Distribution Center, and Oman National Investments Development Company SAOC “TANMIA®”, is the first step. The agreement builds on world-class infrastructure already in place in SOHAR, currently operated by Vale in Oman to import and export millions of tons of iron ore and pellets. The facilities allow the largest ships in the world, so-called Very Large Ore Carriers with a capacity of up to 400,000 tons each, to be berthed at the Port.

Thanks to the excellent road connectivity in SOHAR and the upcoming cargo railway project, the agreement can immediately support the efficient flow of mining cargo to SOHAR Port. From there the minerals can be stockpiled, processed and exported to markets all over the world. Vale in Oman’s deep-water bulk jetty can provide the required services at globally competitive prices to help fuel further growth in SOHAR Port. The jetty is the longest in the region and ranks in the world’s top ten on draft. With Vale in Oman’s initial investment of around US$2 billion, there is no need for additional capital investment as the facilities are already operational since 2011.

“Oman is one of the most mineral rich countries in the MENA region and our strategy is to build on this to achieve competitiveness in the industrial minerals market and hence gain sustainable economic growth for the Sultanate,” said Rashid Saif Al Saadi, CEO of TANMIA, one of the promoting entities of Minerals Development Oman SAOG, which is currently under formation. Vale in Oman’s CEO, Sergio Espeschit, added: “Since our operations were inaugurated and began operations four years ago, we committed to the Sultanate to create this SOHAR Dry Bulk Logistics Corridor which will directly benefit the mining and minerals sector in Oman. Our dry bulk terminal in SOHAR Port already has the necessary internal infrastructure and logistics capability to support the diversification of Oman’s economy that will enable the Sultanate’s minerals to reach global markets at competitive prices.”

SOHAR Port CEO Andre Toet summed up the agreement when he said: “Our existing dry bulk infrastructure is world class; this agreement is about utilizing that same investment for exports — and that makes so much sense for all of us; it should lead to more growth, more jobs and a more sustainable economic model for Oman.”

They are preparing for energy efficiency related investments in the years 2016–2018. The investments will include e.g. renewing the outdoor and hall lightings (LED-technics, lighting control), as well as thermal energy economy measures.

The project will also take into account, as far as possible, the growing number of electric vehicles or electric machinery and the potential of utilizing solar panels. A charging station for electric buses in the passenger harbour area is already planned.

We are taking the energy efficiency project forward in collaboration with Turku Energia and the port area operators.
Turku’s foreign cargo traffic grew by 4.7% in February compared to the previous year. In January–February the foreign exports amounted to 210,609 tonnes (+11.7%) and foreign imports to 154,853 tonnes (-6.9%). In unit load traffic the number of trucks and trailers increased by 6.9%.

The number of vessel calls increased by 8.8% due to increased traffic of Finnlines and the net tonnage of the ships grew by 7.0%. Passenger volume decreased by 4.4% in the beginning of the year.

“We are delighted that our efforts together with the industrial and logistics businesses resulted in strong growth of exports,” said the Port of Turku’s Managing Director Christian Ramberg.