Norwegian firm Aker Solutions said yesterday that its new investment in offshore floating wind could see Scotland considered as a location.
Just last week, the oil services company purchased an initial 5% stake in renewable energy firm Principle Power with the intention to increase to 10% by the end of the year.
Hans Petter Øvrevik, Aker Solutions’s senior manager for offshore floating wind, said: “We would certainly consider Scotland as a location, but there’s a limit to our plans at the moment. Everyone knows about the strong North Sea winds, so Scotland would certainly be a candidate.”
The venture demonstrates Aker Solution’s intention to move into floating offshore wind after the success of the Statoil Hywind project off the coast of Scotland.
As another traditionally oil and gas based company investing in renewable energy, Aker see this investment as building on its strong reputation in hull construction and floating wind as a natural fit in terms of knowledge transfer.
Øvrevik said: “We have an unparalleled reputation in terms of producing floating structures through our involvement in oil and gas with umbilicals, power cables, etc. We feel we can bring something unique into the industry.”
Yet despite Aker Solutions foray into renewable energy this is not part of any transition away from their core oil and gas business.
In the last week the firm has just extended its reach into the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea, for example.
Asked whether this was part of a wider switch to renewables, Øvrevik said: “No, I would say not. The world needs other forms of energy so we’re not transitioning out of oil and gas. We’re just looking at other sectors.”
Aker Solutions are serious about its move into renewables, however, and see the investment in Principle Power as part of a strong message that energy generation needs to be a broad church.
Øvrevik said: “[This investment] is definitely a clear statement and part of steps we’ve already taken into R&D of low carbon energy solutions. This is simply a firming up on that belief.”
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