Renewables chief Ormiston joins Vattenfall

Published on Saturday 2 May 2009 13:32

GREEN energy trade body Scottish Renewables is searching for a chief executive after current boss Jason Ormiston was poached to join Swedish energy firm Vattenfall.

Ormiston, chief executive since October 2007, will leave at the end of June to take up his new post as communications manager of Vattenfall's wind business in the UK.

The former business journalist will be based in Edinburgh, where the firm will establish a second UK base. It is Europe's fifth largest generator of electricity and already has operations in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland, Sweden and London.

Ormiston said: "I'm a bit sad about leaving Scottish Renewables, but it's in really good shape and works hard across the sector." The organisation is now recruiting a replacement.

Vattenfall Wind Power recently launched its Fresh Start UK campaign. It has acquired two companies in the wind power industry, signed a partnership with Scottish Power Renewables and bought the Thanet offshore wind project, just off England's south-east coast. Thanet will generate renewable household electricity for 240,000 homes once it starts operating in 2010.

Anders Dahl, head of Vatenfall Wind Power, said: "Our ambition is to increase wind power production from 1.5 TWh as it stands today to 49 TWh by 2030.

"Great Britain will be responsible for approximately one third of the 49 TWh. It's a tough challenge that we've accepted, but we will succeed in achieving our goal."

The Scottish Government has set a target of 50% of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020.