Business
Projects
OW officially lands in Australia with new project High Sea Wind!
How exciting! We have been granted a feasibility license by the Australian Government for a 150 km2 area, to develop an offshore wind project in waters off Gippsland, Victoria!
Our project, called High Sea Wind, will represent an installed capacity of around 1.3 GW, the capacity to power up to 1 million households and avoid up to 5.3 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.
With our international and proven experience, we will develop a project that will be key to reach Victoria’s targets of 95% of renewable energy by 2035 with at least 2 GW of offshore wind generation capacity by 2032 and will also have a great positive impact on the Australian economy, unlocking opportunities for national industries.
As Bautista Rodriguez, our Chief Executive Officer, commented “We are delighted to receive this new project as a sign of trust from the Australian Government towards Ocean Winds’ capabilities to successfully deliver clean offshore wind energy. We have a proven track record of turning offshore wind into a reality in new markets; mainly thanks to our focus on developing local supply chains, maintaining technical, environmental, and social best practices.”
Rafael Munilla, our Chief Business Development Officer, added: “Entering a new market and growing our secured portfolio reinforces an already strong 2024 with key accomplishments marked by the ongoing construction of 2 GW of offshore wind projects around the globe, and safe operation of another 1.5 GW. We are looking forward to bringing this experience to Australia, working hand in hand with all stakeholders, with a special focus and attention to First Nations, other sea users and local communities impacted by the project.”
This journey in Australia began with our team’s efforts in origination, which laid a solid foundation for our future project. Thanks to this great first work, our teams collaborated to develop an offer that prioritised quality and total project impact. Through this bid, we were able to highlight our recognised expertise and proven track record, as well as demonstrate the full positive impact this project will bring to the whole region.
And that’s not all! We also had the opportunity to come together at the OW HQ to unveil the new logo and celebrate this significant milestone. It was a moment to honor the incredible hard work of our OW team, whose dedication led us to win this tender!
We are very excited about this new journey ahead!
Îles d’Yeu and Noirmoutier achieves successful advancements in their construction phase!!
This month, our Éoliennes en Mer – Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier project has made significant progress in its construction phase, with the first offshore substation ready to be installed at sea in June!!
Weighing around 2500 tons and measuring 39 meters long, 25,5 wide and 18 high, this nerve centre of the wind farm was built by local supplier Atlantique Offshore Energy, a business unit of Chantiers de l’Atlantique dedicated to Marine Renewable Energies.
This key milestone was celebrated at the Port of Saint Nazaire together with key personalities, including Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate in charge of Industry and Energy, Catherine MacGregor, Executive Director of ENGIE, and Laurent Castaing, General Director of supplier Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
And that’s not all! This month we also received the jacket for this offshore substation, coming from Navantia’s shipyard in Puerto Real (Cadiz). And it wasn’t easy to move it from Cadiz to Nantes, look how impressive it was in the Video of the month! 👇
Congratulations to the teams involved! Great advancement!!
wOW: Offshore Wind Developer of the Year & Project Finance of the Year at the Wind Investment Awards!
Last week, we obtained two prestigious Wind Investment Awards at the fifth edition of this ceremony!!!
The Annual Wind Investment Awards, organised by Tamarindo, celebrate best practice in the global onshore and offshore wind sector, incorporating innovation, financing, project development and asset management.
The first award won was Offshore Wind Developer of the Year, attributed to our expansive business development strategies on a global scale, with an increasing portfolio of already 18GW of capacity, as well as our project finance excellence in securing over €7.4 billion of financing in April 2023!
The second award was for our Moray West project as Project Finance of the Year 2024, thanks to its innovative project financing, pioneer in the UK, as well as its integration of cutting-edge technology with one of the largest turbines being installed in Europe.
These two awards add to the two others received from PFI in February 2024, establishing Ocean Winds as a benchmark in the industry. Because despite challenging times for offshore wind, we stand out due to our consistently expansive, yet realistic, strategies.
As Grzegorz Gorski, our Chief Operating Officer, commented “On behalf of Ocean Winds, we are honored to receive the Offshore Wind Developer of the Year and Project Finance of the Year awards. This recognition is a testament to our success, positioning Ocean Winds as leader in offshore wind, with a total of four awards obtained so far in 2024. Combining our expansive strategy to new markets, while ensuring excellence in our projects’ finance, Ocean Winds has demonstrated its key expertise in offshore wind.”
And these awards would not be possible without the support and commitment of all of you every day! Let’s go OW team!!
Polish-Spanish Renewable Energy Day!
At the beginning of May, an event of strategic importance for the renewable energy sector took place at the Embassy of Spain in Warsaw: The Polish-Spanish Renewable Energy Day!!
This key meeting brought together about 20 representatives of Spanish companies operating in Poland and key government officials, serving as an opportunity for exchanging experiences but also as to present innovative projects and strengthen cooperation between Poland and Spain in the field of renewable energy.
Kacper Kostrzewa, our Project Director of BC-Wind, had the opportunity to present the project and how it is advancing in its development phase. The honorary guest of the event was Minister Miłosz Motyka, the Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, responsible, among other things, for Renewable Energy Sources at the Ministry.
The Polish-Spanish Renewable Energy Day was a significant step towards strengthening international cooperation, underscoring the importance of synergy between countries and the potential that comes with the exchange of know-how and technology in the renewable energy industry.
Video of the month
Impressive, isn’t it? Our offshore substation jacket for our île d’Yeu et Noirmoutier project travels from Puerto Real (Cádiz, Spain) to La Rochelle, passing under Cádiz’s “Puente de la Constitución de 1812” at low tide!
OW’s Global Presence
Throughout May, our team has been present at numerous events and galas in the sector!
In the vibrant city of Glasgow, our UK team made a strong presence at the All-Energy Exhibition and Conference, proudly representing OW as a key sponsor! Our UK Country Manager, Adam Morrison, participated in the Open Plenary Session, a fantastic opportunity to introduce OW’s global portfolio, and to discuss the progress of our projects in the region, representing a total capacity of 6GW, and the successful advancement of the Moray West construction phase.
Mark Baxter, Project Director for Caledonia, also participated in the Industry Partners in Offshore Wind Industry – SOWEC Skills Group Representatives session, introducing OW’s work in developing the talent and skills of future generations, with all the initiatives that are being implemented by OW in the region.
In Spain, OW was part of the Wind Talent Day organized by the Asociación Empresarial Eólica (AEE), a meeting to promote the union between the wind sector and university students. Carmen Larrea Ochoa, Foundations Specialist, represented us, introducing her experience in the sector, and her enriching experience as an OW Graduate.
Crossing the pond, our Golden State Wind team was proud to sponsor the Pacific Offshore Wind Summit in Sacramento, California. This event brought together experts from across the industry and highlighted the diverse range of stakeholders needed to bring offshore wind to California. At the event, our country Manager for North America, Michael Brown, spoke on a panel with the other California offshore wind leaseholders about their projects and the future of offshore wind in the state.
Golden State Wind State Permitting Manager, Silvia Yanez, also joined a panel with state and federal permitting experts to discuss the offshore wind permitting process in California. It was exciting to see the progress that has been made since last year’s Summit and we’re looking forward to what the next year will bring for floating offshore wind in California!
Thank you to everyone who has represented OW so well! If you are invited to participate in any sector event, please remember to contact the Corporate Communications Team, we will help you make the most of it!
Business Process Excellence
The third and final Wave of processes is here!
Building the OWay is launching its third and final Wave of processes! As we, the BPE team, accompany the company’s growth, we now focus into mapping different processes related to:
The operation and maintenance of the wind farms, where we find:
- On site maintenance – Conduct preventive, planned maintenance and corrective, unplanned maintenance (repair) carried out by field teams
- On site operation – Ensure general upkeep of asset site, including operational control and dispatch and late-life operating concepts
- End of warranty inspection – Review asset status at end of warranty and settle claims
- De-commissioning – Decide and coordinate site decommissioning
Energy sales and business development with:
- Go to market – Sell output of assets (e.g., in wholesale market or via PPAs)
- Revenue optimization – Conduct asset revenue related risk management and optimization
- Risk Management – Conduct risk analysis on portfolio level, asset revenue related typically in market function
Over the past three years, we have covered the most important processes during the development (origination, bid preparation, permitting, financing, wind farm engineering, and contracting of key contracts) and construction phase (construction strategy, planning and construction management, commissioning and close-out), as well as other cross-cutting processes such as workforce planning, project structuring and staffing, and asset rotation.
More than 120 employees have participated in the Building the OWay program, which has involved more than 12 areas and 6 business units. In parallel with the development of processes, various process improvement initiatives have been crafted, helping to optimize, save time, and facilitate the work of our teams.
In the following video, we have captured participants impressions, including the point of view of the two internal sponsors of the project: Rafael Munilla (Chief Business Development Officer) and Peter Sutton (O&M and Asset Management Director). They mentioned about the importance of the “Building the OWay” program for our organization and their expectations!
Once again, many thanks to all the people involved! Building the OWay would not be possible without you!
To discover more, go to the Building the OWay portal and explore the macro-processes or just send us a message to email bpe@oceanwinds.com to join the design team to participate in the final wave!
Communications
We have a winner! Second Edition of Wind Experts in Portugal: a success!
OW, with the support of the Câmara Municipal de Viana do Castelo and three local schools from Viana do Castelo, has finished its second Portuguese “Wind Experts” edition!
Still don’t know Wind Experts?? Wind Experts is an international educational programme created by OW within the scope of its social investment commitment for younger generations.
This programme includes educational content about climate change, presenting possible solutions while encouraging students to participate and help us fight against this global challenge!
More than 120 students also took part in a competition among themselves: their challenge was to build a replica of our world’s first floating offshore wind farm, WindFloat Atlantic, using only recycled materials and being as creative and innovative as possible.
Our OW team reviewed all the great prototypes presented and selected a winning team for their innovative design! As a sign of appreciation for their participation in this constructive programme, the WindFloat Atlantic team presented the school with an award in the ceremony celebrated in the Câmara Municipal de Viana do Castelo.
We are very proud to continue investing in the local community of Viana do Castelo and inspiring younger generations to learn more about the competitive offshore wind sector with a unique and pioneering example on their doorsteps!
We want to thank all the participants and the schools for their commitment to this programme; we couldn’t be prouder to see the room so full of young talent!
SouthCoast Wind commitment with the community!
Our SouthCoast Wind project recently partnered with a local nonprofit organization, Crossroads Rhode Island, the leading provider of housing and homeless services in the State of Rhode Island.
SouthCoast Wind was also proud to sponsor Crossroads’ Annual “Women Helping Women” event, which raises critical funds to help women in need access temporary shelter services, find a safe and stable place to call home, and get their lives back on track with education, employment, and other programs.
In SouthCoast Wind’s proposal for Rhode Island as part of the recent tri-state offshore wind energy solicitation, the project committed to expanding its collaboration with Crossroads in several key impact areas, including:
- Expanding Crossroads’ low-income ratepayer support program “Housing Problem Solving”
- Providing financial aid to at-risk households who may otherwise fail to qualify for traditional utility bill assistance programs
- Investing in critical energy efficiency upgrades across Crossroad’s affordable housing portfolio
- Increasing resiliency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering utility bill burdens for residents
- Funding individualized education and employment services for out-of-work Rhode Islanders
- Delivering one-on-one support to uplift and prepare those in-need with the resources they need for success in the workforce.
Be sure to check out the great video below featuring OW’s Rebecca Ullman and Kelsey Perry!
LinkedIn post of the month
Don't miss out on OW's LinkedIn profile!!
This month, this post about our new Australian project has gathered more than 1,100 likes!
