Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind Announce Partnership for Floating Offshore Wind Energy in Scotland
Two of the world’s leading offshore wind energy companies have today announced their establishment of a partnership to develop floating offshore wind generation sites in Scotland.
Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind have formed a new partnership for the development of offshore wind in Scotland using floating technology. Currently partnering in California, USA, and Korea, the companies will join forces to bid in the ScotWind leasing round, which is making new seabed leases available for the development of offshore wind in Scottish waters.
A partnership of exponential value
“Aker Offshore Wind is an ideal complement to Ocean Winds with synergies that make this partnership stronger than the sum of its parts. Aker brings five decades of offshore experience in the oil and gas industry together with expertise and competence to industrialise and scale new floating offshore technology. Ocean Winds (a 50:50 partnership of ENGIE and EDPR) bring a history of world-leading renewable electricity development, culminating in the delivery of Scotland’s biggest offshore windfarm. Together we have the size, experience and dependability to introduce floating offshore wind technology to Scotland at commercial scale,” said Dan Finch, Managing Director of Ocean Winds UK.
“Aker has a history of transitioning and delivering marine industry capabilities, technology, and digital innovation from Scotland to manage and de-risk offshore projects. In Ocean Winds we have a partner which has delivered Moray East, Scotland´s largest wind farm yet. Adding to that Aker’s offshore fabrication competencies and strong supply chain partnerships, the consortium is perfectly positioned to take this important step for Scotland in the transition to renewable energy,” said Kristian Røkke, Chairman of Aker Offshore Wind.
Accelerating green industry in Scotland
Aker has been instrumental in the design and delivery of more than half of the world’s semi-submersible floating offshore installations, working effectively with supply chains in harsh weather globally and Ocean Winds is delivering the largest wind and infrastructure project in Scotland today. Further strengthening the proposition is their combined majority ownership of Principle Power, the developer of the leading and most proven floating turbine foundation suitable for Scottish ports and supply chain. In partnership they will accelerate new, green industry creation based on field-proven and leading offshore wind technology. Central to the contribution will be an emphasis on job creation, skills transition and technology development in the local supply chain.
Dan Finch commented: “Ocean Winds has a long history of project delivery in the Moray Firth, having brought the 950MW Moray East – Scotland’s biggest windfarm - from concept to generation. More than a decade ago, we had the vision of commercial scale generation in deeper water, further from shore, using bigger turbines than the available technology of the day. Now we are delivering that vision in the Moray Firth,”.
“The Aker group of companies have many decades of industrial heritage behind them, as they look to the future of digitalizing the floating wind industry,” added Røkke. “Together, Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind will bring determination, innovation, and experience proven to successfully introduce and deliver new technology, while at the same time, significantly reducing energy costs.”
The two companies will jointly submit the bid by 16 July to Crown Estate Scotland
For further information, please contact:
Ivar Simensen, media contact, +47 46 40 23 17, ivar.simensen@akerhorizons.com
Christian Yggeseth, investor contact, +47 915 10 000, christian.yggeseth@akerhorizons.com
About Ocean Winds
Ocean Winds is a global partnership owned 50:50 by EDPR and ENGIE, which was established in Summer 2020 to develop offshore wind technology across the world. The partnership has 4GW in construction and operation, including the 950MW Moray East (under construction) and Moray West (consented, awaiting a CfD) fixed offshore wind projects in the UK. OW targets to reach 5-7 GW of projects in operation or construction and 5-10 GW under advanced development by 2025.
About Aker Offshore Wind
Aker Offshore Wind Aker Offshore Wind is an offshore wind developer headquartered in Norway with focus on assets in deep waters. With global operations, the current portfolio consists of development projects and prospects located in Asia, North America and Europe. Aker Offshore Wind effectively deploys cost effective technologies from decades of offshore energy development. The company is majority-owned by Aker Horizons, an investment company dedicated to creating value and reducing emissions from renewable energy and decarbonization technologies. Aker Offshore Wind [AOW-ME] is listed on Euronext Growth in Oslo, Norway.
ScotWind
ScotWind Leasing is the process currently being undertaken by Crown Estate Scotland, at the direction of the Scottish Government, to grant property rights for the seabed in Scottish waters for new commercial scale offshore wind projects. It is the first round of seabed leasing for offshore windfarms in Scotland for a decade.
The application process closes on 16 July 2021 and seeks a broad range of information about the proposals and the developer including a supply chain development statement document. The process intended to allow the Government to determine which application should be given preferred status and offered an option agreement in the event of there being competing interest for a site.
www.crownestatescotland.com/what-we-do/marine/asset/offshore-wind/section/scotwind-leasing
