Inverness, UK, 19 November 2021 – The Ørsted, Falck Renewables, BlueFloat Energy consortium currently bidding for offshore wind leases for floating wind projects has announced a link up with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) to investigate the potential effects of floating wind developments on the marine environment.
Areas under discussion for future research projects if the consortium’s ScotWind bids are successful range from investigating how fishing interests and offshore wind can work together to a study into how fish, marine mammals and seabirds interact with floating offshore wind farms.
Mike Spain, Head of SAMS Enterprise, said: “Given SAMS’ wide research portfolio, we have an interest in contributing to the resolution of several data gaps in floating offshore wind research. Collaboration with Falck Renewables, Ørsted and BlueFloat Energy will allow for some of these issues to be explored in detail, which would be of great benefit to the wider sector and to other stakeholders.”
Duncan Clark, Head of Region UK at Ørsted, said: “The potential for generating power from floating offshore wind as we move towards a net zero world is immense. With all new technology it is vital to ensure that it is carefully designed with the environment in mind and that we fully understand any effects it might have on the marine ecosystem and how to avoid and mitigate them.
“This work with SAMS aligns with Ørsted’s strong commitment to protect biodiversity, having announced earlier this year our ambition to deliver a net-positive biodiversity impact from all new renewable energy projects we commission from 2030 at the latest.”
Research into how floating offshore wind can operate alongside the existing fishing industry has also been proposed with the aim of improving understanding of how fisheries operate at a small scale and how the two industries can work together.
Richard Dibley, Managing Director of Falck Renewables Wind Ltd, said: “At Falck Renewables our track record is of working as closely as possible with the communities around our developments. We’re currently carrying out a consultation into how Scottish communities could benefit from community ownership of offshore wind and a similar study to work out how the fishing industry and the offshore wind could peacefully and profitably coexist fits in well with our approach.”
Future studies could also focus on increasing the role of marine robotics in collecting data before and after the construction of floating offshore wind farms at remote sites.
Carlos Martin, CEO of BlueFloat Energy, said: “Floating wind is fast emerging as a game changer for the energy transition and we are at the forefront of the technology evolution. We believe it is vital to collect more data and improve our understanding of the effects it has on the surrounding environment. With floating developments well suited to being sited far offshore research into the use of robotics in collecting data will be invaluable.”
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About Falck Renewables:
Falck Renewables has been active in the United Kingdom since 2002 and is currently operating an installed capacity of 413 MW. The company has ten wind farms around Scotland from Kilbraur in Sutherland to Assel Valley in South Ayrshire and has its operational headquarters in Inverness. It pioneered the co-operative ownership approach to wind farm development at its Boyndie Wind Farm and supports local investment, with co-operatives owning a stake in eight of its wind farms.
Falck Renewables S.p.A., listed on the Italian stock exchange (“FKR.MI”), develops, designs, builds and manages power production plants from renewable sources, with an installed capacity of 1,320 MW in the United Kingdom, Italy, United States, Spain, France, Norway and Sweden, using wind and solar power, WtE and biomass technologies. The Group is also a global player in the renewable energy technical advisory and asset management services business.
Press contact:
Jenny MacPherson |JMC Communications | T +44 7900 917143 |jenny@jmccomms.co.uk
About Ørsted:
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants, and provides energy products to its customers. Ørsted ranks as the world’s most sustainable energy company in Corporate Knights’ 2021 index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world and is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 6,311 people. Ørsted’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2020, the group’s revenue was DKK 52.6 billion (EUR 7.1 billion).
Visit orsted.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Press contact:
Paul Haines |Head of UK Media Relations | T +44 7880 149088 | pauha@orsted.co.uk
About BlueFloat Energy:
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 unparalleled expertise in the design, development, financing, construction and execution of floating 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.
Press contact:
Nailia Dindarova | Government and Regulatory Affairs Director | Ndindarova@bluefloat.com | +34 (0) 610 53 31 41
