JR Rix & Sons Ltd and Boston Energy have formed a joint venture, BostonRix Wind Ltd, to offer a set of integrated services to offshore wind developers and OEMs.
JR Rix & Sons Ltd is the parent company of the Humber-based wind farm support vessel owner and operator Rix Sea Shuttle, and the East Yorkshire-headquartered Boston Energy is a provider of recruitment and labour services to the energy industry.
BostonRix Wind Ltd is envisaged as a single point of contact for the offshore wind sector, supplying assets and services including crew transfer vessels and technicians and engineers for all aspects of wind farm maintenance and construction, from sea and ground level up.
Tue Lippert has been appointed as managing director of the new joint venture. Lippert is known in the wind energy industry for his work with DONG Energy, where he led the construction of the 210MW Westermost Rough offshore wind farm development off the East Yorkshire coast.
During his time with Dong, Tue was responsible for setting up offices in Grimsby and Hull, managing the fast track project and approximately 450 contractors and subcontractors both on and offshore. The Westermost Rough wind farm was the first to make commercial use of the Siemens 6MW wind turbine, the same type of turbine that will be made at the Siemens site in Hull.
“There is a strong synergy between Rix and Boston Energy who together have identified an opportunity in the market place which BostonRix Wind Ltd can fill. The company has been established to work with offshore developers and large OEMs to deliver a range of integrated services that would usually be provided through multiple suppliers,” Lippert said.
“The JV company streamlines both procurement procedures and operational management for wind farm construction and maintenance by providing the expertise of Rix and Boston Energy in a single supplier. I believe this consolidation and a comprehensive approach is exactly what is needed to meet the demand of the projects in the pipelines (round two and three) and to the wind farms already online. It is a genuine move to provide the offshore wind developers and OEMs with the option of choosing local UK content and ensure job creation, training and education in this region.”