November 4, 2024
Last week we participated at Thriving Seas 2024
At the conference organised jointly by Renewables Grid Initiative, WindEurope, and the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) in Brussels, Nailia Dindarova, Chief Market Development Officer at BlueFloat Energy, joined a thought-provoking panel on advancing offshore wind in ways that respect both nature and local communities.
Hereโs a recap of some of the key insights she shared:
๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐
BlueFloat Energyโs approach includes early and transparent engagement with local stakeholders. Nailia explained how, in Spain, we began working with community groups and regional bodies four years before the first tender is expected, using this time to incorporate valuable local insights. By listening to stakeholders’ concerns, weโve made key adaptations, such as increasing project distance from shore and reducing the number of planned turbines.
๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ-๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐
Nailia highlighted the importance of well-defined regulatory frameworks in emerging markets. When policies and timelines are transparent, developers can start de-risking projects early through meaningful stakeholder engagement and environmental assessments, ultimately fostering more sustainable and socially integrated outcomes.
๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ก๐ผ๐ป-๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ช๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ
One priority Nailia brought forward was the role of non-price criteria in tender processes. Beyond financial bids, these criteria ensure that projects are awarded based on their environmental and social benefits as well as technical and economic robustness. This would incentivize developers to undertake costly development activities early on to prepare the grounds for successful deployment of the projects in the future.
๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ข๐๐๐ฎ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
As part of the MedOCEaN coalition, BlueFloat Energy actively collaborates with a range of stakeholders, such as NGO’s, TSO’s, and industry associations to unify efforts towards sustainable offshore wind development in the Mediterranean. By aligning priorities, fostering trust, and exchanging knowledge, weโre creating a robust foundation for accelerating offshore wind across the region in a responsible manner.
At BlueFloat Energy, weโre proud to contribute to a movement that balances energy innovation with respect for nature and communities, helping to set a standard for emerging offshore wind markets worldwide.
