Energy firm Cerulean Winds bolsters Scots presence amid efforts to bring North Sea Renewables Grid to life

Firm boosts Scottish presence as part of efforts to bring North Sea Renewables Grid to life.

Cerulean Winds has appointed Laura Jarvie from North Sea Midstream Partners into a new head of Scotland role. Picture: Ross Johnston/Newsline Media.

A UK green energy infrastructure developer has appointed a new head of Scotland and set up premises in Aberdeen as it looks to progress three vast floating offshore wind sites in the North Sea.

Cerulean Winds has signed up Laura Jarvie to the senior post, which will see her work closely with stakeholders on the development of the North Sea Renewables Grid, made up of the Aspen, Beech and Cedar sites.

The developer has also now taken premises at Neo House on Riverside Drive in the Granite City as it builds a project team to deliver the multi-billion-pound project “on a fast-track timeline”.

The moves come after the firm in November said it had signed three floating wind exclusivity agreements as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas leasing round, expected to create more than 5,000 jobs in Scotland. It now says supply-chain contract packages are being progressed, with front-end engineering design expected early this year and talks advancing with Scottish ports and yards.

Newly appointed head of Scotland Jarvie was previously head of energy transition at North Sea Midstream Partners, where she led the investment strategy across energy transition projects including the Acorn carbon capture and storage development and the transformation of St Fergus gas terminal into Scotland’s Energy Transition Hub. Furthermore, she has held prior senior roles at firms including EnQuest and Shell.

She said: “Through Cerulean’s North Sea Renewables Grid, UK Plc has a unique opportunity to enable a dynamic solution to decarbonise oil and gas production. Having worked in the energy sector for over two decades, I am extremely passionate about enabling emissions reductions in order to protect energy security and encourage investment in the North Sea. There are many aspects of the project that sit outwith a developer’s control, and therefore collaboration will be vital to enable the success of the project.”

Dan Jackson, founding director of Cerulean Winds, said: “Laura has a fantastic network and track record of realising complex commercial energy projects, and she will be integral to the relationships we are building with stakeholders across Scotland as we deliver floating wind at an unprecedented scale.”