London-headquartered decommissioning consultancy, RVA Group, has announced its latest chapter of expansion with the formation of a new company in Germany.

Based near Hannover– in the heartland of Europe – RVA Group GmbH will enable the team to further penetrate the EU market.

RVA is no stranger to working in this part of the world, with the engineers having overseen a number of complex dismantling and demolition assignments throughout the country, since 1992. But mindful of the growing volume of ageing assets – and decaying plants ready for clearance – the directors have now established a more defined and permanent German presence.

A local vanguard team has already been assembled – with skill-sets covering the full spectrum of decommissioning engineering, project management, administration and business development – and members of RVA’s UK operation will also have a supporting role as assignments dictate.

The company’s first front-end engineering project is also complete, with decommissioning plans and tender documentation developed for Mehrum Power Station, and the contractor already selected ahead of the cessation of operations at some point in the future.

RVA Group GmbH has recently been awarded the contract for a similar assignment at Buschhaus Power Station in Lower Saxony, following the execution of ground investigations and wider site hazardous materials surveys.

Commenting on the expansion, managing director Richard Vann said: “We’ve worked all over the world during the past 27 years, but regardless of where client requirements have taken us, our base has always been back in the UK – until now.

“To truly make a mark in Germany, we knew we needed a local HQ, plus a team that understands the culture, can speak the language and contract under the local law. We’ve therefore spent the last twelve months making this vision of a new company, a reality.

“I’m very excited to see how 2020 pans out for us all.”

Having a base in Germany will also enable RVA to widen its reach into The Netherlands, Belgium, France, and other neighbouring countries on the continent, as opportunities arise.

“RVA Group GmbH will play a crucial part in us taking our growth to the next level,” continued Richard. “We want to replicate what we’ve been doing in the UK for the last quarter of a century, as we head into the next 25 years and beyond.”

RVA Group’s UK operation – which has completed almost 800 projects since it was established – was acquired by Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH) in November 2017, for an undisclosed sum.