17 January 2022 – The Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy partnership taking part in the current ScotWind offshore wind leasing round is celebrating the success of three of its bids to secure seabed leases for sites which lend themselves to the deployment of large-scale floating wind technology in Scotland.
Two of the partnership’s proposed projects – a site east of Aberdeen in Plan Option E1 and a site north of Fraserburgh in Plan Option NE6 have been granted leases from Crown Estate Scotland – along with a proposed site east of Caithness in Plan Option NE3 which will be developed by a consortium of Falck Renewables, BlueFloat Energy and Ørsted. The three areas could accommodate a total of approximately 3.0 GW of offshore wind capacity with the projects scheduled to be operational by the end of the decade, subject to securing consent, commercial arrangements and grid connections.
The successful bids combined BlueFloat Energy’s knowledge and experience in developing, financing and executing offshore wind projects with Falck Renewables’ strong track record of global project development and over 15 years of community engagement in Scotland.
Carlos Martin, CEO of BlueFloat Energy, said: “The Scottish coastline is ideal for developing offshore wind projects and our team is thrilled to be given the opportunity to deploy our expertise to deliver these projects in Scotland. The potential for boosting the economy and reinforcing Scotland’s position at the forefront of the energy transition is huge. We have already carried out extensive work on mapping out the Scottish supply chain and now look forward to ensuring we work with as many local companies as possible.”
Toni Volpe, CEO of Falck Renewables, said: “We are delighted that our applications have won the support of Crown Estate Scotland and that our offshore wind projects will be making a considerable contribution to providing Scotland with clean energy. Falck Renewables has a worldwide renewables portfolio and with our growth strategy we are on track to facilitate the global transition to a low carbon future.”
Richard Dibley, Managing Director of Falck Renewables Wind Ltd, said: “We are hugely excited about the positive impact these projects will have on the whole of Scotland in terms of creating jobs, economic benefit and helping to achieve a net zero future. Over the past 15 years we have seen communities empowered with the help of the financial support they have received from our onshore wind farms and we look forward to sharing the benefits of offshore wind with local communities.”
The Falck Renewables, BlueFloat Energy, Ørsted consortium has already begun work with community ownership experts Energy4All on a new framework which will allow residents of Scotland and Scottish communities to share the financial benefits of the offshore wind energy projects the consortium plans to build in the future.
As part of the preparatory work to deliver the offshore wind projects the consortium will collaborate with Energy Skills Partnership Scotland (ESP) to help train up a skilled workforce in time for construction to begin.
Research will also be carried out with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) to investigate the potential effects of floating offshore wind developments on the marine environment. Projects under discussion will examine how fishing interests and offshore wind can work together and study the interaction of fish, marine mammals and seabirds with floating offshore wind farms.
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Falck Renewables S.p.A., listed on the Euronext STAR Milan segment and included in the FTSE Italia Mid Cap Index and in the MIB ESG Index, develops, designs, builds and manages power production plants from renewable sources, with an installed capacity of 1,370 MW (1,333 MW according to the IFRS 11 reclassification) in the United Kingdom, Italy, United States, Spain, France, Norway and Sweden. The Group is a global player in the renewable energy technical advisory and asset management services business, through its wholly owned subsidiary Vector Renewables, providing asset management services to clients accounting for approximately 3,800 MW of installed capacity and with experience in more than 40 countries. Falck Renewables provides also highly specialized energy management and downstream services to both energy producers and consumers.
Visit www.falckrenewables.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter (@falckrenewables).
BlueFloat Energy is developing offshore wind projects in various regions of the world, where it can implement its vision: to accelerate global deployment of offshore wind as a key enabler for the energy transition and economic growth. Founded by renewable energy professionals, BlueFloat Energy brings together remarkable team expertise in the design, development, financing, construction and execution of offshore wind projects.
BlueFloat Energy is supported by 547 Energy, the Quantum Energy Partners’ platform dedicated to clean energy investments. 547 Energy aims to partner with innovative companies who drive the growth of the green energy economy. Quantum Energy Partners is one of the world’s leading dedicated energy investment funds, with a portfolio of over $ 17 billion of assets under management since its inception in 1998. www.bluefloat.com
Contacts:
Falck Renewables
Giorgio Botta – Investor Relations – T +39 02 2433 3338
Elena Roda – Media Relations – T +39 02 2433 2297
Jenny MacPherson – JMC Communications – T +44 7900 917143
SEC Newgate S.p.A
Daniele Pinosa, Fabio Leoni, Fabio Santilio – T +39 02 6249991
CDR Communication
Vincenza Colucci – T +39 335 6909547
BlueFloat Energy
Nailia Dindarova – Government and Regulatory Affairs Director – T +34 (0) 610 53 31 41
