EDF Renewables UK enters new partnership for Blyth offshore wind farm in north east England
EDF Renewables UK is welcoming a new partner for its Blyth offshore wind farm in north east England. Malaysian utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), via its wholly owned subsidiary, Vantage RE Ltd (Vantage RE) now owns 49% of the shares of the Blyth Offshore Demonstrator Limited (BODL). It is the largest electricity utility in Malaysia with a presence in the UK amongst other countries.
EDF Renewables UK remains the majority shareholder and owns a 51% share in BODL which includes the existing 41.5 MW wind farm and the development rights for the new Blyth floating offshore wind farm project which will have a capacity of up to 58.4MW.
EDF Renewables will also continue to provide asset management services to the existing operational wind farm and to lead the development of the floating offshore project.
Community Benefit fund arrangements remain unchanged.
EDF Renewables UK CEO Matthieu Hue said: “Blyth is an innovative site which allows us to experiment with new technologies in offshore wind energy and we are very happy to start a partnership with Tenaga Nasional Berhad. These kind of partnerships demonstrate the quality of the assets we develop and the appeal of our business for investment partners. They also allow us to invest in new renewables projects such as our recent acquisitions including the Codling offshore wind park development in Ireland, and a number of solar projects to be built next year in the UK.”
The new partnership is aligned to EDF Group’s CAP 2030 strategy which aims to reach 60 GW of net renewable capacity worldwide in the next 9 years. Across the UK and Ireland, EDF Renewables continues to rapidly expand its portfolio with more than 5 GW of projects in development.
TNB’s President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Datuk Ir. Baharin Din said: “The strategic partnership with EDF Renewables marks TNB’s foray into the international offshore wind sector, diversifying beyond the Group’s existing onshore wind and solar portfolios in the UK that have been in operation over the last four years. With this alliance, both TNB and EDF Renewables reiterate our shared vision and commitment in driving sustainable development towards a low carbon society. We believe this will give us an edge in an increasingly competitive industry, as we look forward to an exciting and fruitful partnership that will open up more opportunities not just in Europe, but also in Southeast Asia.”
Notes to Editors:
About EDF Renewables
EDF Renewables UK and Ireland (www.edf-re.uk) is a subsidiary of EDF Group’s, one of the world’s largest low carbon electricity companies, and our investment and innovation is reducing costs for consumers and bringing significant benefits for communities. With our operating portfolio of 37 renewable energy sites including onshore and offshore wind (together totalling 1 GW) we are providing much needed affordable, low carbon electricity. We have an expanding portfolio with almost 5 GW of projects in planning and development, including wind, battery and solar PV.
About Tenaga Nasional Berhad
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) (www.tnb.com.my) is a leading Malaysian utility company in Asia with an international presence in the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and India. Within the renewable energy space, as of 2020, TNB has a total portfolio of 2,732.3MW in Malaysia (including 2,536.1MW of large hydro) and 666MW across the UK, Turkey and India comprising mainly solar, wind and hydro energy generation assets.