Belgian offshore wind developer Elicio is teaming up with French floating technology pioneer Ideol to develop projects off Scotland, with the pair currently preparing a bid for the ScotWind leasing round about to be launched by UK seabed landlord the Crown Estate.
“Wind energy has significant growth potential and is at the heart of Elicio’s strategy to contribute towards a cleaner and cost-effective energy powered world,” said Emile Dumont, board member of Elicio, which has been part of the development consortium for the Norther, Otary and Seamade projects off Belgium.
Ideol CEO Paul de la Guérivière stated: “Combining the track-record of Ideol in floating wind and the experience of Elicio in offshore wind offers a unique value proposition maximising certainty of a successful project development, based on the effective creation of a Scottish supply chain, a competitive LCOE and a proven floating technology.”
Ideol chief sales officer Bruno Geschier told Recharge: “Ideol believes in the benefits of combining our floating wind expertise and an offshore wind developer and operator’s from early stage project development to optimise a projects and achieve competitiveness as well as securing the highest level of real local content and jobs.
“We have been working with Elicio for many months now to analyse and prepare this Scottish lease tender, including very early engagement with the local supply chain.”
Ideol’s ‘damping pool’ platform concept is the first technology to be field-proven in two separate regions, with prototypes turning off France and Japan.
Ideol is in one of four consortia currently building floating wind arrays off France that were recently given the formal go-ahead by the European authorities. And last month, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese construction and civil engineering giant Taisei – the conglomerate responsible for many of the island nation’s major infrastructure projects, including the 2020 Olympic Stadium in Tokyo – to mass produce concrete versions of its floating foundation.
A report launched this morning by industry bodies RenewableUK and Scottish Renewables calculates floating wind could be built into a market worth tens of billions of pounds by mid-century and accelerate the UK toward its zero carbon emissions pledge.
