Garrad Hassan, based in Bristol (UK), is an independent renewable energy consultancy serving the wind, marine and solar sectors worldwide. It was formed in 1984 to meet the growing demand for independent consultancy services in the wind energy sector, and is widely recognised as the leading authority on the subject. Meanwhile, Germanischer Lloyd has been serving ship owners, shipyards, the maritime supply industry and some 130 flag states for over 140 years. Although it mainly operates in the oil and gas and shipping industries, Germanischer Lloyd also provides technical expertise to all players in the expanding renewable energy markets around the world including site assessment, type approval and consultancy.
The synergies between the two companies have led them to take the decision to merge to become a worldwide leading independent provider of consulting, engineering, turbine design, certification, measurement, project management, strategic advice, inspection services and software products for renewable energies. Garrad Hassan and Germanischer Lloyd will provide technical services over the entire life cycle of wind, solar, marine and other renewable energies, both onshore and offshore including safety, integrity, reliability and performance management.
“The merger of GH and GL is a reflection of growing demand of customers for a single service provider who offers solutions for challenges in technology, environment and asset performance on a worldwide scale”, said Pekka Paasivaara, Member of the Executive Board of Germanischer Lloyd, at a press conference in Hamburg this week. “Together, we will offer a unique level of service expertise and global presence across the whole project lifecycle.”
The two companies will form a business segment dedicated to renewable energy of over 600 staff with highly qualified engineers and technical experts at 34 locations around the world. Germanischer Lloyd had already acquired the Canadian wind energy consulting and engineering company Hélimax and the German company WINDTEST; both experts on measurements for wind turbines and wind farms. In addition, the offshore wind expertise of Noble Denton particularly in project management for offshore wind farms was added to the Germanischer Lloyd Group in April 2009.
Andrew Garrad, CEO of Garrad Hassan, also expressed his delight at the merger: “We have considered many potential partners but we have chosen GL because we share the same values of independence and technical rigour. Both companies have worked for 25 years together and hence know that this combination will be successful. It brings benefits to our clients and employees alike. We are now able to provide an even more comprehensive service offering with access to more engineers and this will enable us to enter developing markets.” Andrew Garrad will be the president of the new combined renewables business.
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