Business
Projects
Scotland Secretary of State Ian Murray switches on Moray West!
At the end of the month, at Moray Firth in Northeast Scotland, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray symbolically switched on our Moray West offshore wind farm. The project will now soon join Moray East as an operational project in the Moray Firth region; where we are also developing our Caledonia project, strengthening our leadership in the UK’s energy transition.
Our 882 MW project is pushing boundaries—not only delivering clean power to the UK but doing so with some of the largest foundations and wind turbines ever installed globally. Behind each of the 60 turbines, with their 108-meter blades, is the hard work of countless OW colleagues, showing how we go #BeyondEnergy every day.
While external celebrations were limited due to business decisions, internally, we want to take a moment to recognize and applaud the achievement of everyone involved.
A huge thank you to our packaging and functional teams, and to everyone across OW who made this possible. Your expertise, teamwork, and commitment couldn’t have made us prouder!
EFGL makes history as the world’s first nature-inclusive offshore wind farm!
We’re beyond excited to celebrate the installation of 32 Biohuts® by ECOCEAN on one of the three floaters of our EFGL pilot project. This marks a world first—proving that floating offshore wind can be a force not just for clean energy, but for marine biodiversity too.
These innovative structures, installed on one of EFGL’s three floaters, mimic natural nursery habitats. Each Biohut® features an inner cage filled with oyster shells to stimulate the marine food chain, and a surrounding protective cage that offers young fish a safe refuge from predators. Together, they provide a secure, nourishing space for post-larval fish to grow strong enough to thrive in the open sea.
It’s more than a technical achievement—it’s a new standard. This initiative:
- Validates the role of floating wind structures in supporting marine life
- Enables long-term ecological monitoring
- Builds a track record for future nature-inclusive offshore wind projects
- Reinforces our role in shaping a sustainable French floating wind industry aligned with France’s 45 GW offshore wind target by 2050
As Thomas Bordron, our Project Director for EFGL and EFLO puts it, “the installation of several dozen Biohut® units on a floater of the EFGL project is the result of an iterative process initiated with ECOCEAN nearly 10 years ago, at the beginning of the EFGL project. Involving in particular the State services, the Marine Natural Park of the Gulf of Lion, and fishers, it included the prior deployment, from 2019 to 2023, of the BOB buoy equipped with Biohut® units at the EFGL project site. The encouraging results obtained during this study, notably by the Marine Ecosystems Research Center of the University of Perpignan, encouraged us to scale up, at the level of the pilot project”.
Thank you to all teams involved—this project is a testament to what long-term vision and collaboration can accomplish. Let’s keep setting the standard, together!
OW signs contract with CRIS and P&Q for offshore and onshore substations in Poland!
OW has taken a major step forward in strengthening Polish local content by signing two groundbreaking contracts with national suppliers for our BC-Wind project!
At the end of March, OW signed a Tier 1 agreement with CRIST Offshore for the design, construction, and commissioning of the offshore substation. This signature took place at a key event attended by over 120 participants — including representatives of government, local authorities and industry.
This marks the first-ever direct contract between an offshore wind developer and a Polish supplier for such a critical component. The offshore substation will be built in Gdynia and is expected to secure over 400 jobs.
And that was not all! Earlier this month, OW signed a contract with Polish energy contractor P&Q for the design, construction, installation, and commissioning of the onshore power substation—a key element that will connect the wind farm to Poland’s national grid.
Located in Choczewo, about 30 km from the offshore site, the substation will feature:
- 400kV and 275kV overhead switchyards
- A power transformer to step up voltage from 275kV to 400kV
- A control building with remote monitoring for efficient and safe operations
The design phase is now underway, with construction works set to begin in 2026. The contract continues a strong partnership with P&Q that began back in 2021, when the company first delivered the conceptual and design documentation for the onshore export system.
“The selection of P&Q as the contractor for the onshore power export system in the BC-Wind project continues our successful cooperation, which began in 2021. We are pleased to have a partner who brings not only experience but also a strong commitment to delivering such a crucial component of our investment, the transmission infrastructure,” says Kacper Kostrzewa, our Managing Director for Poland.
With a planned capacity of 390 MW, BC-Wind will deliver clean electricity to approximately 488,000 households once operational in 2028. As we approach FiD this year, the contract strengthens both the project and our growing role in Poland’s offshore wind market.
As the final milestone in April, BC-Wind received the Construction Permit for the Offshore Export Cable, including the HDD section between the landfall and the sea. This marks the final step in a long and complex permitting journey for the project.
A big thank you to all the teams involved!
In the Spotlight!
Discover how at OW, we go Beyond Energy!
Explore the OW Beyond Energy Photo Exhibition and immerse yourself in our journey.
Picture of the month
Above, we showed you the installation of Biohuts® on one of EFGL’s floaters — and soon, we’ll be able to share striking images like this one, taken when these Biohuts® were tested at BOB, our Biodiversity Observation Buoy!
OW’s Global Presence
April has been another month full of international events!
We kicked off the month by attending WindEurope, one of the key events in our sector. With more than 16,200 attendees, OW’s presence was a success!
This year, the content of our stand was built around this new claim, with WindEurope as the official launch venue.
The highlight of our presence was the OW BEYOND ENERGY: Photo Exhibition – a series of 10 artistic photographs that portrayed our positive impact beyond energy!
Each theme was brought to life through a success story from within OW or in collaboration with external partners. These stories were told through audio recordings by the people involved, adding a personal and authentic touch.This initiative gave us a unique chance to present our projects from a truly human perspective.
This year’s edition of WindEurope also marked a key milestone for the sector: the launch of the Offshore Wind Industry Declaration, calling for stronger collaboration between governments and industry.
On stage, our Chief EPCI Officer, Óscar Díaz Martín-Forero, joined the conversation on floating offshore wind, highlighting the importance of project success, tailored auction criteria, and industry collaboration to scale this promising technology.
In France, our team had a busy month as OW proudly sponsored FOWT 2025 – the world’s largest event dedicated to floating offshore wind! It was a great opportunity to celebrate 5 years of WindFloat Atlantic, share progress on the construction of our second floating wind farm in the Gulf of Lion, and announce the early development of EFLO, our first commercial floating project in France. Our colleagues Ana Rodriguez, Electrical Engineering Associate Director, and Dominique Moniot, Business Development Director for France, took part in key panels and event moments, showcasing OW’s leadership in floating technology.
And a big thank you to the OW team present for their work, commitment, and dedication — making another successful edition of WindEurope possible!
What’s new in offshore?
Portugal moves forward with offshore wind tenders
This month, the Portuguese Government has confirmed a centralized sequential model for the competitive process for offshore wind generation development, in line with the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC) 2030 targets.
This initiative aligns with the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC 2030) and the Offshore Renewable Energy Allocation Plan (PAER), aiming to install 2 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and establishes a structured framework for the country’s inaugural offshore wind tender.
Within 60 days from the publication of the order, the following steps will be undertaken:
A detailed roadmap for the implementation of the first centralized competitive procedure will be presented.
The maritime areas to be included in the tender will be identified, based on approved spatial planning instruments.
The applicable legal framework, along with any necessary adjustments, will be defined.
A clear pre-qualification phase will be outlined, including the proposed evaluation criteria.
An assessment will be conducted to determine any additional requirements, such as socioeconomic studies, tariff design, and legal advisory services.
Within 180 days, the full tender documentation is expected to be finalized and made available.
People
Introducing the 2025 Learning Plan
On April 10th, we launched the 2025 Learning Plan, in line with our commitment of empowering your growth by providing training opportunities tailored to your career path.
But, what is the Learning Plan exactly? It’s your personal roadmap for the year, made up of:
- On-job/Technical Training, assigned to you because of your role training needs.
- Voluntary Training, selected by you as part of your Individual Development Plan.
- Mandatory Training, as required by law or internal regulations.
This week, we have hosted live info sessions to walk you through how it all works and to answer your questions. We are grateful for the great engagement on your side!
What’s next?
- In the coming weeks, we will publish the quarterly training calendar on the Corporate University platform.
- For each course, you will receive a “Save the Date” invite, so you can plan ahead. All training sessions are organized by the L&D team — all you have to do is show up and grow.
Your learning journey is just getting started — let’s make it count!
Explore internal career opportunities at OW!
At OW we believe your next big opportunity might be right here. Whether you’re aiming to grow your skills or take on new responsibilities, there’s no better time to invest in your career.
We currently have several open positions across different teams and locations — and we’d love to see you continue your journey with us.
Curious about what’s out there? Explore our internal job opportunities and don’t hesitate to reach out to the People team for more information or guidance.
CLICK HERE to access the OW Internal Job Site
Let’s build your future together!
InnOWation
OW unveils results of innovation challenges with Innovate UK!
We’re excited to share the results of our first Innovation Challenges in collaboration with Innovate UK—a key step in strengthening the future of offshore wind through innovation and cross-industry collaboration.
Launched last September, these challenges aimed to find practical solutions to improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and accelerate project timelines—particularly in the UK, with a view to scaling success across our broader global portfolio.
The initiative brought together multiple OW departments and attracted dozens of proposals from startups eager to make an impact in offshore wind. After a robust evaluation and Pitch Days in January, final selections were made in three out of four challenge areas:
- Energy Assessment & Metocean (1 selection out of 23 applications)
- Fixed Foundations (1 selection out of 8 applications)
- Nature-Inclusive Design for Floating Wind (1 selection out of 19 applications)
- Ecological Data Collection (29 applications; top 3 identified, but no final selection)
With these selections, we’re now working hands-on with the chosen startups to pilot, test, and scale their technologies. This collaboration reflects the best of what we can achieve when we bring internal teams together with external innovators to tackle complex challenges head-on.
Daniel Santa Cruz, our Innovation & Entrepreneurship Director proudly shares, “At Ocean Winds, we are driven by the opportunity to create impactful change in the offshore wind sector. We’re dedicated to delivering tangible results by collaborating with forward-thinking startups and foster open innovation to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind farms. Together, we are building a future where innovation and collaboration pave the way for cleaner, more sustainable energy”.
Thanks to all OW teams who contributed to the success of this initiative—we look forward to watching these pilots take shape in 2025!
#ProudtobeOW
Communications
Another successful Wind Experts edition in Portugal!
OW, with the support of the Câmara Municipal de Viana do Castelo and five local schools from Viana do Castelo, has finished its third 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 helping us fight against this global challenge!
More than 150 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 a gala awards ceremony celebrated in 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!
LinkedIn post of the month
We recently celebrated Earth Day!
Did you see how we commemorated it?
