Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP), a world leader in the development and construction of offshore wind projects, has opened a new office to host its Global Floating Offshore Wind Competence Centre (GFLOWCC).
The Edinburgh center provides the ideal location for COP to further grow its team and accelerate the large-scale deployment of floating offshore wind (FLOW) across the UK and globally.
COP is the exclusive offshore wind development partner to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), one of the world’s leading green infrastructure fund managers. One third of the partnership’s 50+ GW offshore wind portfolio is comprised of FLOW.
Alan Hannah, UK CEO and Partner at COP said: “The opening is an important moment in what will be a significant year for FLOW. It puts Scotland and the UK at the core of our global floating offshore wind ambitions, building on strong maritime heritage, a history of innovation, and world-class energy supply chains.
“The UK has established an early capability in FLOW and while it must continue to innovate, there can be no substitute for learning through doing. We must get projects in the water to better understand how to industrialize floating technology in the face of fierce global competition.
“The center will play a crucial role to build the industry’s understanding of how to efficiently maximize the floating offshore wind opportunity so that we can achieve a highly localized, industrialized model for deployment for future commercial scale projects.”
Photo from the launch event. L-R Alan Hannah, UK CEO and Partner, COP; Virginia Ruiz, Senior Director New Market Development; Holly Cartwright, Senior Director, UK Market Development; Tim Harford, FT Columnist and Radio 4 presenter; and Dr Cristina Garcia-Duffy, Technical Director, ORE Catapult – each took part in a panel discussion at the event.
FLOW is the next frontier for offshore wind and a key component in an effective approach to achieve global climate ambitions. It can be deployed in deep waters where traditional fixed foundation offshore wind technologies cannot, harnessing the vast wind resources which are found offshore in many parts of the world.
The launch of COP’s Global FLOW Competence Centre comes as the UK Government announces a new Energy Security Plan: Powering Up Britain. This highlights the importance of technologies such as FLOW to boost domestic renewable energy production capabilities.
Welcoming the opening of COP’s GFLOWCC, Rt. Hon. Graham Stuart MP, Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The UK has a world leading position in FLOW and I’m grateful to COP for its investment in what is a fantastic FLOW opportunity in the UK. Partnership between business and Government is vital, which is why I’m delighted to see the launch of the £160m Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS), which will make a difference to delivering the port infrastructure upon which the industry depends.”
COP is currently developing the Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm, the world’s largest floating demonstration project, off the coast of Caithness, Scotland. Early FLOW projects such as Pentland are vital to demonstrate how the industry can both reduce cost and localize key project work packages.
Together with partners SSE and Marubeni, COP is also developing the 3.6GW Ossian Floating Offshore Wind Farm, which will be located approximately 80KM southeast of the Aberdeenshire coast. It is also preparing for the Celtic Sea FLOW leasing round later this year.
