Italian oil major Eni will partner with Scottish offshore wind developer Red Rock Power to develop offshore wind capacity in the ongoing ScotWind leasing round.
The two companies have formed a 50:50 partnership to “strengthen the ScotWind proposition and collaborate on future projects”, they said in a statement.
Seabed landlord the Crown Estate Scotland has said leases could be awarded for up to 10GW of offshore wind capacity. A large number of potential bidders have formed partnerships to participate in ScotWind, including Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore last week.
Eni’s and Red Rock will be supported in their bid by Transmission Investment, an independent transmission company that already manages the largest offshore wind transmission portfolio in the UK.
The companies will also “consider future renewable opportunities in Scotland and combine their wind farm development and offshore expertise, harnessing a common desire to support the net zero transition”, they stated.
They aim to maximise opportunities for local supply chain growth and the deployment of new technologies, as well as promoting the transfer of skills needed to decarbonise the North Sea.
“Securing a partner to enable us to capitalise on our existing offshore wind development expertise and levelling-up our offshore construction experience ahead of the ScotWind bid was a key priority for us this year,” said Guy Madgwick, Red Rock Power CEO.
“We recognise the vast potential in collaborating with an energy company like Eni to deliver net zero targets in the North Sea and see this as an opportunity to further champion the transition of its skilled workforce into renewables,” Madgwick added.
Alessandro Della Zoppa, head of renewables at Eni Gas and Luce added: “Red Rock Power’s team brings significant experience in this sector and specifically in Scotland. We are confident that this collaboration will support Eni’s ambition to achieve its renewables targets.”
Eni aims to deliver 60GW of installed renewables capacity by 2050. It made its first step in the offshore wind sector last December by acquiring a 20% stake in Dogger Bank.
Edinburgh-headquartered Red Rock Power is an investor, developer, owner and operator of renewable energy projects. Its offshore wind portfolio includes a 25% stake in the 588MW Beatrice and 50% in the under-development 1080MW Inch Cape wind farms, both of which are off Scotland. It is a subsidiary of Chinese company SDIC Power Holdings Co. Ltd.
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