International renewable energy consultancy OWC has appointed Damien Pasco as country manager for Australia and New Zealand, tasked with supporting the two countries’ renewable energy aspirations.
OWC managing director Katherine Phillips said: “Damien brings extensive expertise in mature and maturing offshore wind markets, such as the US, Taiwan and South Korea, to best support the growth and expansion in Australia and New Zealand.
“We believe his competence and experience will prove invaluable to developers here.”
Pasco joins OWC from a role as principal project manager at sister company Longitude Engineering’s Singapore office.
In this role, he led teams of consultants through large technical due diligences, early-stage studies and pre-FEED studies, expected to be sought after during the early stages of Australian renewable energy projects.
He has previously held managerial positions at an offshore vessel owner and an energy project developer.
The Global Wind Energy Council estimates that Australia has the potential to generate up to 5000GW of electricity from offshore wind using a combination of fixed and floating infrastructure.
In New Zealand, 80% of electricity is already coming from renewable sources.
As such, the country is expected to demonstrate to other countries that decarbonizing the last percent of energy generation entails huge challenges.
Pasco said: “Australia and New Zealand are key markets for OWC due to their exceptional resources and mature renewable and energy markets.
“I am excited to lead and grow our team here, supporting developers, investors and other stakeholders to bring new and challenging renewable projects to fruition.”