Wind energy – Scotland
A group of leading offshore wind companies and funds have today announced their joint participation in Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind leasing process.
The NextGen consortium, led by Quaybridge Scotland, Parkwind and Maple Power is backed by a number of strategic partners including BlackRock Real Assets and Sumitomo Corporation.
The NextGen consortium’s innovative approach to offshore wind development in Scotland will ensure the creation of high value local jobs and opportunities for meaningful community involvement. From their base in Quaybridge’s Fife office, NextGen has worked closely with stakeholders across Scotland to complete early development work, pilot innovative supply chain interventions and build community level relationships for the last three years.
The consortium has initiated development of sites off the coast of Scotland with the objective of safely and successfully delivering the first ScotWind projects into operation. Critical path offshore ornithological, marine mammal and metocean surveys have already been completed by the consortium, reducing the time needed to bring the projects into construction.
The consortium is also backed by a number of reputable partners, including BlackRock’s latest Global Renewable Power strategy and Sumitomo Corporation. BlackRock has a strong presence in Scotland, with over 750 employees and the BlackRock Renewable Power platform has invested in near 300 wind and solar projects globally. Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan’s most prominent investment groups has a long-standing history in offshore wind investments throughout Europe including the UK.
