Acciona, SSE Renewables sign agreement for offshore wind development

Acciona S.A. (Alcobendas, Spain) and SSE Renewables (Perth, U.K.), part of the FTSE-listed SSE Plc (Perth, U.K.), have signed an exclusivity agreement to develop offshore wind power projects in Spain and Portugal. The companies will also jointly explore further opportunities in other potential markets.

According to the agreement, Acciona and SSE Renewables will establish a 50-50 joint venture (JV) that will combine Acciona’s strength as developer and operator of onshore renewable facilities (primarily wind and photovoltaic) with SSE Renewables’ skills and experience in the development, construction and operation of some of what it says are the world’s leading offshore wind farms.

Acciona says it will also provide its grid integration capabilities, its energy management technology through its Renewable Energy Control Center (CECOER) and its know-how in engineering applied to offshore wind turbines.

“After successfully developing a leading global position in onshore wind and photovoltaic technologies, a partnership with SSE Renewables will allow us to accelerate our entry into the offshore wind market, where we also see great potential,” says Rafael Mateo, CEO of the Energy business unit of Acciona.” It is a natural step forward in our strategy of providing the best possible alternatives for clients looking for clean energy solutions.”

SSE Renewables is a developer, constructor, operator and owner of offshore wind energy projects across the U.K. and Ireland. It has an operational offshore wind portfolio of 487 megawatts (MW) and what it contends is the largest offshore wind development pipeline across the U.K. and Ireland at more than 6 gigiwatts (GW).

The company is currently constructing the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6-GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea, a JV with Equinor (Stavanger, Norway) (which will be supplied with GE Renewable Energy (Paris, France) 14-MW Halidade-X wind turbines). It is also building Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, the 1.1-GW Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm in the Firth of Forth, a JV with Total (Paris, France).

“I am delighted to be entering into this exclusivity agreement with Acciona,” Jim Smith, managing director of SSE Renewables adds.  “Partnering with a well-established Spanish renewable developer will enable SSE Renewables to bring its offshore wind expertise to help Spain and Portugal achieve their ambition to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. It also demonstrates our intent to build our strong wind energy pipeline beyond the U.K. and Ireland.”