Wind services firm set up by ex-Petrofac CEO acquires two new companies

Venterra Group has announced the acquisition of two companies as it seeks to support the expansion of the global wind industry.

Balltec and Partrac have joined the energy services business, which was set up by former Petrofac chief executive Ayman Asfari.

Venterra was formed in 2021 to aid the offshore wind industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the energy transition.

© Petrofac

Based in Lancashire, Balltec designs, manufactures and tests high integrity mechanical connectors for critical applications in the renewables and oil and gas sectors.

It provides products for cable protection, mooring, pipelines and heavy lifting and is a supplier of engineered systems for challenging projects, from concept to commissioning.

Balltec recently supplied 3,000 mT capacity internal lifting tools for a large, North Sea decommissioning project.

The company was selected as it will complement the services already offered by equipment provider Osbit, an exisitng member company in Venterra Group.

Rob Jewkes, Venterra’s chief executive, said: “Balltec brings deep technical expertise and a history of innovation that fits our ethos of bringing the best marine engineering into the offshore wind industry.

“Balltec will partner with Osbit our bespoke equipment provider to offshore wind and together they will support the ‘Build’ phase of our growing range of services.”

Russell Benson, managing director of Balltec, added: “Joining Venterra gives us a bigger platform from which to grow faster and across an even wider range of markets.

“Our marine and subsea engineering expertise in offshore wind positions us to play our role in the energy transition as it accelerates in the years ahead.”

Founded in 2003 by Sam Athey, Kevin Black, and Peter Wilson, Partrac is a metocean and seabed consultancy.

It services clients in the offshore wind, ports and marine construction sectors from offices in Newcastle, Glasgow and Devon.

Mr Jewkes said: “Partrac has a highly differentiated metocean consultancy offering, focused primarily on the offshore wind and marine renewables sectors. They have been involved with pioneering projects, including the world’s first floating wind farm, delivering vital metocean data, wind resource assessments and critical advice.

“Their services help developers optimise wind farm designs, move them through consenting and reduce development risk. As a member of Venterra, Partrac will continue to work on these ground-breaking projects and accelerate its growth as part of the wider offering.”

Sam Athey, a irector of Partrac, said: “Over the last 18 years, we have evolved from a three-person start-up to a company that is trusted to provide critical data and advice to the world’s largest and most innovative offshore wind projects.

“We have invested in a team of dynamic, motivated, high calibre people from a variety of backgrounds and specialisms. Combining our team with Venterra’s ‘Engineer’ offering means we will be able to offer a more comprehensive set of services and continue to deliver as the global market accelerates.

“Venterra operates from 14 locations in nine countries and gives us a wider geographic platform from which to grow. As a team, we are excited to be a member company of Venterra Group, focused on making a real contribution to reaching net zero”.