EDF Power Solutions UK has signed an agreement in principle with wind turbine manufacturer Nordex to supply and support turbines for a portfolio of UK onshore wind projects with a combined capacity of nearly 1 gigawatt, EDF said in a Wednesday statement.
The agreement replaces the traditional project-by-project procurement model with a multi-project framework designed to streamline collaboration, enable earlier project optimization and improve overall project value.
Under the arrangement, EDF said it expects to engage the supply chain earlier, improve value engineering and strengthen planning for future construction and operational phases across its onshore wind portfolio.
"This is a fresh, and more co-operative approach to procuring wind turbines, stepping away from traditional methods and looking at how we can add value by doing things differently," said Jon O'Sullivan, director of onshore wind at EDF Power Solutions UK.
O'Sullivan said the company's multi-disciplinary teams had developed a competitive procurement process aimed at reducing costs, improving efficiency, accelerating project delivery and strengthening collaboration with suppliers throughout the projects' life cycles.
He added that the agreement would support EDF Power Solutions UK's target of building 10 GW of renewable energy capacity across the UK and Ireland by 2035.
The company said it expects the framework agreement to serve as a model for future strategic partnerships across its supply chain while supporting the deployment of Nordex's turbine technology across a significant portion of its onshore wind portfolio.