James Fisher Renewables (JF Renewables) has hired six new appointments for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
These appointments include Matthew Paterson, as APAC operations director, and James Wu, country manager Taiwan, as well as the new post of country manager South Korea which has been taken up by Francisco Roh (pictured).
The appointments will see JF Renewables “strengthen its presence in Taiwan which will form the company’s knowledge hub for the region, while launching a physical presence in South Korea for the first time”.
Further plans to expand in this region include Japan and Vietnam in the mid-term, with longer term sights set on Australia and the Philippines.
Following on from the appointment of Maida Zahirovic as APAC regional vice-president at the start of this year, this expansion marks a next step for JF Renewables as it looks to bridge the gap between European and APAC renewables growth.
Maida Zahirovic, APAC regional vice-president, JF Renewables, said: “It’s exciting to see so much ambition to accelerate the development of renewables in the region, but it’s also important to remember that the industry is still in relative infancy.
“The challenge now is to harness lessons learned from Europe and integrate them into novel supply chains effectively and safely. Having country managers on location, like James and Francisco, headed up with operational direction from Matthew will allow us to do just that, while simultaneously nurturing local partnerships and training new talents.”
Roh said: “As one of the first movers in Asia to adopt a net-zero by 2050 goal, and an ambitious offshore wind target of 12GW capacity by 2030, South Korea has well and truly thrown down its clean energy gauntlet.
“This new role will allow us to grow our in-market partnerships and affirms our commitment to burgeoning markets throughout the region.
“With onshore wind projects facing permitting and connectivity challenges, offshore wind is predicted to be South Korea’s most important energy source in the coming years; it’s the perfect time to be entering this market and I’m excited to be working with JF Renewables to support this growth.”
The news follows the recent announcement of two Taiwan partnerships with Dong Fang (DFO) and Ho Lung Power Engineering (HLPE).