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Mainstream and Maple Power join forces for Celtic Sea floating bid

Mainstream Renewable Power, majority-owned by Kristian Røkke-led Aker Horizons, has teamed up with Maple Power, a joint venture between Enbridge and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, for the upcoming Celtic Sea floating offshore wind tender in the UK, which will be launched in 2023.

UK seabed landlord the Crown Estate is advancing the Celtic Sea seabed leasing tender for floating wind, which is anticipated to deliver a total of 4 GW of renewable energy by 2035. The region is said to have the potential to generate up to an additional 20 GW by 2045.

“The Celtic Sea can play a leading role in reaching the UK’s Net Zero ambitions, while providing renewable energy for green value chains in Wales and beyond through its proximity to key industry,” said Tove Røskaft, head of offshore wind at Mainstream. “I believe Mainstream and Maple Power bring together highly complementary capabilities and experience which will support us well in our aim to bid on and develop floating offshore wind in the region.”

Maple Power has co-developed over 2 GW of offshore wind projects in Europe, including Provence Grand Large in France, the first non-recourse project financed floating offshore wind project currently in construction.

Meanwhile, Mainstream has an extensive offshore wind development track record in the UK, having developed and consented 20% of the UK’s offshore wind capacity either in operation or under construction through 1.2 GW Hornsea One, 1.4 GW Hornsea Two and 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe. Through its recent combination with Aker Offshore Wind, Mainstream has taken an early mover position in floating wind and is currently, together with its partners, developing gigawatt-scale projects in South Korea and Scotland. The company is also a major shareholder in the leading floating wind technology provider Principle Power.

Earlier in November, Norwegian energy giant Equinor also unveiled a scheme for a gigawatt-scale floating offshore wind farm in the Celtic Sea. The company, which has the world’s first and largest floating wind farms under its belt, has already carried out the site selection process in the Celtic Sea and is refining its selection through aerial surveys.

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.
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