Italian energy major Eni and Scottish offshore wind developer Red Rock Power have entered into a 50/50 partnership to make a joint bid in the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round in Scotland.
The proposal is supported by the transmission company Transmission Investment, for which Eni and Red Rock say will bring its extensive expertise in grid infrastructure.
The two companies said that under their newly established partnership they would also consider future renewable opportunities in Scotland.
“Our priority right now is formulating a competitive proposition which would allow us to expand while maximising opportunities for Scotland’s wind sector and supply chain” , said Guy Madgwick , Red Rock Power CEO.
The Crown Estate Scotland has already started the ScotWind leasing process , with the deadline for applications from developers set for 16 July.
As for their future offshore wind projects, Eni and Red Rock said it would prioritise maximising opportunities for local supply chain growth, the development and deployment of new technologies, and contributing to the decarbonisation of the North Sea and the transfer of skills this will generate.
“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. I come from an oil and gas background, as do many of our team, and we recognise that there are significant learnings and transferable skills the wind industry can benefit from” , Madgwick said.
This March, Eni announced its commitment to helping oil and gas workforce transfer their skills into the renewable energy sector and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Strathclyde and Eni Corporate University to develop a programme that would facilitate this.
Alessandro Della Zoppa , Head of Renewables in Eni Gas & Luce, said: “Eni is committed to a Just Transition underlining a constant commitment to enhancing people’s value while seizing the opportunities offered by possible developments in the energy market, this is our driver as we continue our transformation journey”.
Eni entered the offshore wind market in December 2020 with the acquisition of 20 per cent stake in Dogger Bank A & B, the first two phases of what will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
A month before that, Eni and Norwegian energy investor HitecVision set up a joint venture company focused on offshore wind named Vårgrønn. The company, in which the Italian energy major holds a 69.6 per cent stake, teamed up with Equinor in May to jointly apply for offshore wind acreage in Norway at one of the two areas the country opened last year.
In Norway, Eni and partners plan to develop a floating offshore wind project at the Utsira Nord area.