Der Start des Floating Offshore Wind Committee von WFO Anfang dieses Jahres fand großen Anklang bei der globalen Offshore-Windindustrie

(WK-intern) – Leading Japanese, Norwegian and French offshore wind players join WFO’s trendsetting Floating Offshore Wind Committee

• JERA, Japan’s largest utility company, among new wave of global players to join WFO and its new Floating Offshore Wind Committee
• Aker Solutions, part of the Aker Group, Norway’s industrial developer of offshore wind also among new Committee members
• French wind energy association France Energie Eolienne (FEE) to join Committee as well

The launch of WFO’s Floating Offshore Wind Committee earlier this year struck a chord with the global offshore wind industry.

Following the inaugural announcement in February 2020 a wave of international organisations representing the entire global offshore wind value chain joined WFO in order to participate in the new Floating Offshore Wind Committee. The latest global energy industry heavyweights to join WFO are JERA, Japan’s largest utility company, Aker Solutions, an industrial developer of offshore wind with a strong balance of plant product portfolio and FEE, the prominent and very influential French wind energy industry association.
Japan, Norway and France have undoubtedly been highly committed over the past years to support and accelerate the development of floating offshore wind. These countries have not only invested hundreds of millions of euros in multiple pilot and demonstration projects but have also worked towards the creation of the necessary regulatory frameworks to enable commercial-scale projects for floating offshore wind in the very near future.
WFO’s newly launched Floating Offshore Wind Committee is chaired by Bruno Geschier from Ideol and co-chaired by Clément Weber from Green Giraffe. The Committee’s kick-off meeting will be held virtually on June 17th, 2020. In addition to JERA, Aker Solutions and FEE a broad range of highly respected international offshore wind players have already joined WFO’s new Floating Offshore Wind Committee, among them: RWE, Northland Power, Innogy, DEME Group, US Business Network for Offshore Wind, ORE Catapult, Simply Blue Energy, Hogan Lovells and many more.

Bruno Geschier, Chairman Floating Offshore Wind Committee:
“We are thrilled to be able to count on heavyweights such as Japan’s JERA, Norway’s Aker Solutions and France’s FEE to further promote the acceleration of commercial-scale floating offshore wind in their respective domestic markets but also across the globe. Europe, Asia and North America are now duly represented on the Committee and we look forward to adding even more leading international players to further boost the build-out of floating offshore wind on all continents. We look forward to working closely with all our members.”

Gunnar Herzig, Managing Director, WFO:
“We are enormously proud to have JERA, Aker Solutions and FEE as new WFO members from these three pioneer markets for floating offshore wind. We look forward to welcoming more prominent global players from different stages of the offshore wind value chain as new WFO members shortly.”

Satoshi Yajima, Executive Officer, Business Development Department, JERA:
“We are looking forward to productive cooperation and open dialogue within WFO’s Floating Offshore Wind Committee that will help to promote floating offshore wind industry. Offshore wind is indispensable initiative of JERA, and we are positively confident about future of floating offshore wind as a solution that will enable introduction of offshore wind in deep water and other challenging areas. We are excited about great times ahead for the industry and would like to contribute to the upcoming worldwide introduction of floating wind.”

Astrid Onsum, Head of Offshore Wind, Aker Solutions:
“Building on experience from 50 years of project developments, we firmly believe that offshore wind will be the next large scale power source. Floating technologies will enable fast and sustainable growth. Offshore wind is now truly a global play, hence being a member of the Floating Offshore Wind Committee is a great opportunity to share experience and unleash industry learning.”

Matthieu Monnier, Deputy CEO, FEE:
“We are very honored and delighted to join WFO’s Floating Offshore Wind Committee. We look forward to sharing the French experience of floating offshore wind development as France is clearly identified as a hotspot for this promising technology and to learning from markets and experiences from all over the world. FEE strongly believes in the deployment of floating offshore wind worldwide and in its logical complementarity with bottom fixed.”

About JERA:
Established in 2015, JERA is an equal joint venture of two major Japanese electric companies, TEPCO Fuel & Power Incorporated and Chubu Electric Power Company. JERA is an energy company with global reach that has strength in the entire energy supply chain, from participation in LNG upstream projects and fuel procurement, through fuel transportation to power generation. JERA’s mission is to provide cutting edge solutions to the world’s energy issues, by offering energy supply models established in Japan through JERA’s global operations to other countries. Toward 2025, JERA’s energy solutions focus mainly on two businesses: the LNG value chain business and the large-scale renewable energy business centred on offshore wind power generation. These businesses are complementary; renewable energy with variable power generation output is complemented by flexible, clean LNG thermal power generation. With demand expected to grow globally, particularly in Asia, JERA aims to become a leader in these two businesses.

About Aker Solutions:
Aker Solutions is an industrial developer of offshore wind, with a strong technology portfolio. Aker Solutions is developing floating offshore wind projects globally, and has a leading position is some of the most advanced markets across continents, including the US and South-Korea. Aker Solutions has a five-decade long track record of predictable execution of complex offshore projects and has designed and delivered 60% of the world`s semi-submersible floating structures, more than 550 dynamic power cables and umbilicals, and all relevant substation products.

About FEE:
The French Wind Energy Association (FEE), founded in 1996, currently has more than 315 members which cover 90% of the installed wind capacity in France. FEE represents the entire supply chain, and its mission is to defend the rights and interests of its members at regional, national and European levels. The Association’s work is split between commissions which are sub-divided into specific working groups focusing on the following topics: law and regulations; environmental issues; economics; grid connection; technology; offshore wind; communications; and operation & maintenance. FEE works hard to further develop the wind sector and to demonstrate its key role as a solution in the current energy and climate debate.

About WFO:
World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) is the world’s only organisation 100% dedicated to fostering the global growth of offshore wind energy. WFO’s international members represent the complete offshore wind value chain including utilities, manufacturers, service firms and other organisations. WFO is registered as a non-profit association (e.V.) in Germany with offices in Hamburg and Singapore. WFO’s unique profile facilitates access to governmental and international forums in order to open new markets and to advocate for global offshore wind growth.

PR: WORLD FORUM OFFSHORE WIND e.V.