Oil giant Shell and renewables developer EDP Renewables have joined forces to enter the offshore wind market, as Mayflower Wind Energy.
A 50/50 joint venture, the deal will see Mayflower compete in upcoming offshore wind auctions.
The two firms announced on Friday that Mayflower was the ‘provisional winner’ of block 0521 in an auction held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the US.
Once constructed, the lease area could accommodate a total generation capacity of approximately 1.6 gigawatts (GW), enough to power more than 680,000 average homes with electricity each year.
John Hartnett, director of Mayflower, said: “Mayflower’s entry into US offshore wind is exciting and will leverage Shell and EDPR’s years of combined wind development and offshore experience.
“We commend BOEM on a successful bid round and look forward to working with local groups and communities to realize this opportunity.”
Mayflower will now enter into the planning stages, with an aim to be operational by the mid-2020s.
EDP Renewables are due to develop the Moray East and West wind projects in the Outer Moray Firth.
When completed, the two windfarms will generate enough energy to power nearly two million Scottish homes.
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