Norwegian company Aker Offshore Wind said it is disappointed not to secure any licences in the ScotWind leasing round, but remains committed to its strategy and to developing its international project portfolio.
Aker Offshore Wind chief executive Philippe Kavafyan said: “Despite the disappointment, we are confident that our capabilities, organization and partnerships will contribute to accelerating the deployment of commercial scale floating wind around the world.
“We will encourage cooperation among key players in the industry to ensure the prospect of there being GWs of floating windfarms in operation prior to 2030 becomes a reality.”
Company chairman Kristian Rokke said: “We are of course disappointed at the outcome of the ScotWind process, but remain ardent believers in the potential of floating offshore wind and Aker Offshore Wind’s technology and system capabilities to industrialize this segment.
“Aker Offshore Wind is an integral part of the future we see unfolding, where hybrid deliveries are a key differentiating factor for Aker Horizons as a planet-positive group.”
The company said it expects to see its pipeline mature across several markets during 2022.
These include its consortium with Ocean Winds in South Korea that has secured exclusive rights from the city of Ulsan to explore the development of three floating offshore areas for up to 1.2GW.
Aker Offshore Wind said it is progressing the projects toward the first final investment decision as early as 2024-25.
At home in Norway, the company has formed partnerships for bottom fixed with BP and Statkraft, and with Statkraft and Ocean Winds for floating wind ahead of the licence processes that are expected to commence later in 2022.
Aker Offshore Wind and its partners are also undertaking environmental impact assessments for offshore sites in Sweden and on the US west coast.
In Japan, plans for Aker Offshore Wind and Mainstream Renewable Power to acquire an initial 50% stake in Progression Energy’s 800MW floating offshore project are progressing according to schedule, and the transaction is expected to be closed in the near term.
The company also remains committed to developing offshore floating wind in the UK, where future opportunities include plans in the Celtic Sea and the INTOG leasing process to help decarbonise Scotland’s oil and gas sector.