Forewind appoints new GM (UK)

Lee Clarke, former Senior Corporate Development and Strategy Manager with RWE npower, has been appointed as General Manager of the Forewind consortium, development partner for Dogger Bank.

With more than 20 years in the electricity industry, Dr Clarke (46) has a broad range of general management, commercial, operational, and strategy experience, which will be invaluable for the consortium as it aims to secure all the necessary consents for the construction and development of Dogger Bank, potentially the world’s largest offshore wind project.

His key responsibility will be to lead the consortium in the delivery of its consents, as agreed with The Crown Estate, for a target installed capacity of 9GW, though the zone has a potential for approximately 13GW, or around 10 per cent of the total projected UK electricity requirements.

Dr Clarke’s previous positions include Head of Contracting and Home Energy Services as well as Head of Residential Social and Environment with npower Retail, roles which utilised his expertise in developing and implementing strategies for new business units as well as the delivery of regulatory commitments on energy efficiency. He has also worked with E.ON UK and Powergen/TXU Europe.

“With Dogger Bank, Forewind has the opportunity to take a leading role in the offshore wind industry and set the standards for project delivery by turning an extraordinary concept into reality,” he said. “Opportunities such as this do not come along often and while there will be major challenges, I look forward to leading this diverse team, comprising members of each of the owner companies, and satifsying the requirements of our key stakeholders.”

Forewind’s four partners are: SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc); RWE npower renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy, and two of Norway’s largest companies, Statkraft and Statoil.

Former Acting GM, Mr Frank-Are Steinbakk, will now take over responsibility for the consortium’s operation and maintenance activities.

[mappress]

Source: forewind, August 27, 2010;