Bard set to be sold in 2011

GERMANY: The Bard group, a German offshore wind turbine builder and offshore wind farm developer, may change hands by the end of the year.

by Sara Knight 11 April 2011

Bard's 5MW offshore turbine

The company was founded in 2003 by private investor Arngolt Bekker who, at the age of 75, wishes to sell, confirmed a company spokesman. He said there was a wide range of potential investors including energy and industrial companies, in markets including Asia.

Last year Bard came close to a tie-up with Gamesa. Previous talks on a potential collaboration between the two manufacturers was terminated in July. Commenting on the decision, Bard would only say the partnership was "not suitable".

Bard, which has 1300 employees, has been under new management since autumn last year.

Since the company’s launch, around €150 million has been spent on its infrastructure. The main elements of the group are Bard Holding which steers the group, Bard Engineering which develops the offshore turbines and offshore wind projects, Bard Emden Energy which assembles the 5MW offshore turbines and manufactures the turbine blades, and Cuxhaven Steel Construction which builds offshore turbine foundations.

Other group members include Bard Building, which installs offshore turbines, Bard Logistic which owns and operates a special installation ship and other marine vessels and facilities and Bard Service.

Currently Bard is installing the 80 turbine Bard Offshore 1 wind station, a project it developed and which is majority owned by a municipal utility group named Südweststrom. By the end of April 2011, eleven Bard 5MW turbines will be grid-connected, with work underway on another 8 foundations. The project should be completed in 2012.

Bard’s next German project is likely to be the permitted 80 turbine Veha Mate project, which has not yet been financed.

In the Netherlands, Bard won a 600MW allocation in the Wind op Zee tender last year on which construction must begin by August 2013.

The projects Bard Offshore NL 1  - Buitengaats and GWS Offshore NL1  - Zee Energie each with 300MW are located about 55 kilometres from the island of Schiermonnikoog. All in all, Bard has 9 offshore wind projects in German waters and three along the Dutch coast.