DONG Energy takes over US offshore wind development project

DONG Energy has agreed to take over the newly assigned development rights from RES Americas for a potential 1 gigawatt plus US offshore wind development project off the coast of Massachusetts.

DONG Energy sees strong potential in the project and is looking forward to further maturing the development project.

At the offshore wind auction held by BOEM on 29 January 2015, RES Americas secured the rights to develop one of the two leases that were awarded. This lease comprises a lease area located 55 miles from shore and could potentially accommodate more than 1000MW.

Following approval from BOEM, the lease will be taken over by DONG Energy, the global market leader in developing, building and operating offshore wind farms. RES Americas will continue to support development of the lease area as agreed with DONG Energy."

Samuel Leupold, Executive Vice President of DONG Energy Wind Power, said:“The US is an interesting new market for offshore wind with the potential to become a significant area for future development. We have constructed around one third of the offshore wind capacity in the world and we are looking forward to bringing our skills and experience to this new market.”

During recent years, the cost of offshore wind has been significantly reduced for projects in Europe. DONG Energy believes the same trend is possible in the US. Cost reductions have been achieved through technology improvements as well as a maturing supply chain, which is the result of a sizable roll-out of offshore wind in North-Western Europe that was enabled by stable and predictable policy frameworks.

Look forward to cooperation
A draft policy bill to support the regulatory conditions for offshore wind has been introduced with the Massachusetts government aiming to provide a stable framework that will enable the build out of projects and the creation of new jobs.

Samuel Leupold said: “Building large scale energy infrastructure projects, such as offshore wind farms, requires stable framework conditions and dedicated political support. We have more than 20 years of experience in developing and building offshore wind farms in Europe. We are excited to work constructively with regulators, potential suppliers and contractors as all other stakeholders to establish a successful offshore wind industry in Massachusetts.”

See fact sheet about DONG Energy and the company's offshore wind track record (pdf)

Facts about DONG Energy
DONG Energy built the world’s first offshore wind farm in 1991 and has since installed more than 2,500 MW offshore wind capacity, making it the global market leader in this sector. The company is currently building another 1,300 MW offshore wind projects in Germany and the UK and targets to build a total of 6,500 MW by 2020. DONG Energy Wind Power employs more than 1500 employees dedicated to offshore wind.

Facts about the site in Massachusetts:
The Lease Area provides wind and seabed conditions relatively similar to the projects which DONG Energy currently is planning to construct in North-West Europe.The lease area OCS-A 0500 has a total size of 22239 acres, is located approximately 55 miles from shore with water depths between 130-165ft.

Requests for interviews with Mr. Samuel Leupold, please contact Rune Birk Nielsen.