Fernando De Lapuerta will join Statkraft’s corporate management team as executive vice president international from 1 January 2025.
De Lapuerta (pictured), who is Statkraft’s country manager for Brazil at present, will succeed Ingeborg Darflot to take responsibility for asset ownership and project development outside of Europe.
De Lapuerta, a Spanish national, has held several senior management positions in the international renewable energy industry for nearly 20 years.
With a strong background in business and law, coupled with work experience from Spain, Panama, Brazil and Norway, he has been a key figure at Statkraft since he joined the company more than a decade ago.
“I am very pleased that Fernando De Lapuerta has accepted the appointment as EVP International,” said Statkraft president and chief executive Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal.
She added: “He has been instrumental in delivering the strong growth and profitable operations Statkraft has achieved in Brazil in recent years.
“Fernando has personally played a pivotal role in delivering several high-profile projects and the successful completion of major deals.
“I am very pleased to welcome Fernando to my management team, where we continue to work on delivering solid value creation based on our ambitious growth strategy.”
Statkraft has built a strong position as Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy and a significant player in selected markets in South America, said the company
The developer added it has been present in Brazil since 2008 and has built a strong organisation, profitable operations and a considerable pipeline for further value creation under De Lapuerta’s leadership.
The company now operates 18 hydropower plants and eight wind farms, with a total installed capacity of more than 2200MW.
In February 2024, Statkraft inaugurated its largest wind farm outside Europe, the 519MW Ventos de Santa Eugenia Wind Complex in Bahia, placing the company among the top 10 wind power producers in Brazil.
De Lapuerta said: “Statkraft has an ambitious strategy and unique position for further profitable growth within renewable energy.
“I am very much looking forward to contributing to our value creation together with the rest of the organisation outside Europe.
“Going forward, we will focus our investments on South America, where the opportunities to achieve scale and leverage our core capabilities are strong.”
Darflot has been appointed executive vice president for the new business area, technology and project delivery.