Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc launches tendering process for O&M packages for world’s first tidal lagoon power plant

Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc will today begin the tendering process for three main operations and maintenance (O&M) contract packages to support the £1billion Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.

Having previously named General Electric and Andritz Hydro as preferred bidders to manage the operations and maintenance of the lagoon’s turbines and power generation facilities, Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc now seeks Tier 1 contractors to take on the day-to-day running of the lagoon facilities outside of the main power generation plant.

The three contract packages being tendered are:

• Lagoon Maintenance: including maintenance of the lagoon wall, turbine housing structure and mariculture park, as well as maintenance dredging
• Public Realm Infrastructure Maintenance: including maintenance of the visitor buildings; boating centre and research laboratory; roads, car parks, landscaping and lighting; potable, foul and surface water system; 11kV supplies; IT & telecoms infrastructure
• General Facilities Management Services: facilities management for day-to-day operational activities such as public access control, security, transport, cleaning and waste disposal

The contracts are together valued at ~£4million per annum, with registration open today at the procurement portal www.sell2wales.gov.uk. Successful contractors will be selected via a competitive two-stage pre-qualification and formal invitation to tender process which begins this summer.

Gerwyn Tumelty, Operations & Maintenance Manager for Tidal Lagoon Power: “The creation of these packages brings a clear focus to the non-power generating assets which are needed to safely operate the world’s first tidal lagoon power plant and make the most of its potential for multi-functional use.

“The tendering process will ensure the right levels of competition, innovation and skill is sourced from the supply chain and will maximise local jobs for the future. This is just the beginning of a home-grown industry that expert analysis suggests has the potential to contribute £3.1bn to UK GDP in each year of asset operation.” *

Roger Evans MBE, Chair of the Tidal Lagoon Industry Advisory Group: “The creation of these O&M packages provides yet another opportunity for local and national companies to register their interest in being a part of a major £1billion investment in Wales. It builds on the clear intentions already given by the project’s major delivery partners to maximise opportunities for a British workforce, partners and supply chain in the construction of the lagoon.”

Julie Williamson, Chairman of the Federation of Small Business in Swansea Bay: “We have worked closely with the developer from the outset to understand opportunities for local businesses. The announcement of the tier one contractors, CHEC, GE and Andritz, Laing O’Rourkeand local civil engineers Alun Griffiths, now creates the platform for local businesses to take their role in the supply chain, creating jobs and developing expertise in this exciting new industry. This project represents a fantastic opportunity for our members and the broader business community in Swansea and Wales. It is incredibly exciting to see it all now coming to fruition.”

As well as registering at www.sell2wales.gov.uk, where all major tender opportunities will be listed. A Pre-Qualification Questionnaire for a contract to construct the lagoon’s offshore visitor centre has also been posted on the site. A further tender for the construction of the lagoon’s boating centre will proceed through the summer.

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*A macroeconomic impacts study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research found that a national fleet of six tidal lagoon power plant including the Swansea Bay proof-of-concept scheme could contribute £27 billion to UK GDP during construction and make an annual contribution of £3.1 billion to UK GDP over the 120 year design life of the plant.

FURTHER INFORMATION: www.tidallagoonpower.com, lisa.jenkins@tidallagoonpower.com, 07908 738763

Tidal Lagoon (Swansea Bay) Plc

Tidal Lagoon (Swansea Bay) plc is a special purpose vehicle company established specifically to construct, own and operate the world’s first tidal lagoon power plant at Swansea Bay. The 320MW installed capacity project, developed by Tidal Lagoon Power Ltd, has a design life of 120 years and a net annual power output of over 500 GWh; enough to meet the annual electricity requirement of over 155,000 homes, or over 90% of homes in the Swansea Bay area.

The company is steered by the UK’s leading experts in major infrastructure design and delivery. Its board is led by Keith Clarke CBE as Non-Executive Chairman, supported by a governance board that includes Bernard Ainsworth OBE and Mike McNicholas. Project delivery will be led by Andrew McNaughton.

In December 2014, the project was named in HM Treasury’s National Infrastructure Plan, the Welsh Government’s Wales National Infrastructure Plan, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s investment plan. The project’s approach to public consultation was highly commended at last year’s RTPI Cymru Planning Awards, while LDA Design’s masterplan for the lagoon won the President’s Award at the 2014 Landscape Institute Awards. Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay was named as New Energy Champion at this year’s New Energy & Cleantech Awards.

The project was awarded a Development Consent Order on June 9^th 2015. The first phase of negotiations with the Department of Energy & Climate Change on a potential Contract for Difference for the project were announced in the Chancellor’s Budget in March 2015.

Tidal Lagoon Power Ltd

Tidal Lagoon Power is driving a critical change in the UK’s energy mix by developing infrastructure to harness natural power from the rise and fall of the tides. Its first project, the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, establishes a scalable blueprint for a series of UK tidal lagoons. The company is developing a fleet of six tidal lagoons to meet up to 8% of UK electricity demand. This fleet will exploit the opportunities that tidal lagoons offer for social, economic and environmental transformation, progressing projects that contribute positively in each area.