Ørsted has announced that they will be opening their office in the Isle of Man as part of their commitment to developing the Island’s first ever offshore wind farm. The office, located in Athol Street, Douglas, will accommodate the Isle of Man Offshore Wind Farm development team and be a hub for the company’s further development of renewable energy projects in the Irish Sea.
The Isle of Man’s first offshore wind farm is progressing through the early stages of development after Ørsted and the Isle of Man Government signed an Agreement for Lease at the end of 2015. The agreement allowed for investigations of an agreed area within the Isle of Man Territorial Sea, located approx. 6-12 nautical miles off Maughold Head, on the east coast of the Island.
Ørsted has been encouraged to take the next steps in development of large offshore wind in the Isle of Man after Tynwald passed the Climate Change Act in 2021 and set new, ambitious carbon reduction and renewable energy targets last year in the Climate Change Plan 2022-2027.
Ørsted’s John Galloway has taken up the role as Development Director for the offshore wind farm and is looking forward to expanding his project team, saying: 'This office is the start of exciting things to come for Ørsted in the Island. We will continue to work hard with local stakeholders in the coming months and years to design a project that truly supports the Isle of Man Government’s own net zero ambitions.'
Chief Minister Alf Cannan MHK, commented: 'I am delighted that Ørsted have chosen to open an office on the Isle of Man. Renewable energy and its benefits are becoming much clearer and there is the additional benefit of new jobs and developing technologies.'
John Galloway, added: 'With the climate emergency continuing, we recognise the importance of taking action now. This is going to be a once in a generation opportunity for the Isle of Man to explore energy security and independence, pioneer how to export offshore wind power to neighbouring nations and bring real economic benefits to local organisations and businesses.
'At Ørsted we always take great care to listen to the concerns of the local communities that we’re helping make the transition to a green economy. As the Isle of Man Offshore Wind Farm is developed over the coming months and years, we will be making sure the whole community is engaged and a part of the design process at every stage.'
Ørsted has 13 operational offshore wind farms in the UK, providing 6.2GW of renewable electricity for the UK – enough to power more than 7 million homes. This includes 6 offshore wind farm projects located in the Irish Sea between the UK and the Isle of Man. It’s newest array, Hornsea 2 off the coast of Yorkshire, is the world’s largest offshore wind farm and makes a significant contribution to Ørsted’s global ambition of installing 30 GW offshore wind by 2030.
Globally, Ørsted currently has approximately 8.9 GW offshore wind in operation, around 2.2 GW under construction and another almost 11 GW of awarded capacity under development.
For additional information about the project, please visit www.orsted.co.uk/isleofman or email isleofman@orsted.com
Source: Ørsted
