RWE Renewables and National Grid have agreed to jointly develop offshore wind projects in the coastal region of the north-east US.
Under a partnership agreement, RWE and National Grid Ventures, the non-regulated division of National Grid, will work together to explore opportunities in the US offshore wind market.
This includes an intention to jointly bid in the upcoming New York Bight seabed lease auction.
“Our partnership with National Grid represents an exciting milestone for RWE to further grow our renewable energy business in the US,” said Sven Utermohlen, chief operating officer at RWE Renewables’ global offshore wind business.
“While we are an established presence in the US with our onshore wind, solar and storage activities, this partnership will support RWE’s plans to realise a sizeable position in the offshore wind space. We look forward to working with National Grid to advance the clean energy transition in the US.”
“We’re very pleased to partner with RWE as we take our first steps towards developing offshore wind projects in the north-east US,” said Cordi O’Hara, incoming president of National Grid Ventures.
“This partnership further solidifies National Grid’s role in advancing a clean, fair and affordable energy future and will also complement our growing onshore renewables business, which includes a strong pipeline of solar, wind and battery storage projects across the country.”
National Grid and RWE will bring complementary capabilities and expertise to this partnership:
RWE is active across the offshore wind value chain, from project conception and development to construction as well as operation and maintenance, resulting in about 20 successful projects.
The company is constructing the 857MW offshore wind farm Triton Knoll off the English Coast and the 342MW project Kaskasi off the German island Heligoland.
RWE has also taken the investment decision for its 1.4GW project Sofia, one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world.
National Grid will bring local expertise in the Northeast along with its experience developing large-scale infrastructure projects, including subsea cable capabilities from its portfolio of interconnectors that facilitate the transfer of renewable energy between the UK and Europe.