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Venn Associates joins forces with Afallen

Venn Associates has joined forces with Wales’s leading sustainability consultancy Afallen as part of its continuing growth strategy.

Afallen delivers a wide range of services including project management, stakeholder engagement, and social and environmental impact reporting and management.  Afallen’s skills include research, data analysis, climate change, environmental science, communication and marketing, strategy development and implementation, stakeholder engagement, digital strategy and communications, the vulnerable customer agenda, and governance. Afallen’s clients include local authorities, the Welsh Government, housing associations, and a range of private and third-sector organisations.

Commenting on the appointment, Joseph Kidd, founder of Venn Associates said:

“I am delighted Venn Associates has joined forces with the Afallen team after working with them on a number of sustainability and renewable energy projects over recent years. I am looking forward to being part of a forward thinking team, focussed on helping Wales deliver its net zero ambitions and maximising value for Wales.”

Joseph will join the three existing Partners, Mari Arthur, David Clubb and Peter Trott to strengthen Wales’ leading sustainability partnership.

The addition of Venn Associates will also expand Afallen’s network of associates and presence across Wales.  Afallen works across Wales with a team of associates leading in their own sectors, keeping profits local and helping to keep skilled people working on projects in Wales.

Peter Trott feels Venn Associates will add value to existing clients and projects especially work on decarbonisation:

“Afallen aims to keep work, skills and profit in Wales and to help to grow stronger economies across all regions. We have gone from strength to strength over the last three years and expanding to include a new Partner will mean even more opportunities for Wales.”

Mari Arthur added:

“Having a new partner join us from a new and exciting sector feels like a real boost for Afallen. We look for global best practice and innovation to strengthen what we do in Wales and Venn brings a range of national and international contacts and experience to strengthen our team and our work; helping us develop new ways of making Wales even more sustainable.”

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Hiraeth Energy to partner with Magnora Offshore Wind to co-develop Môr Glas and Môr Gwyrdd floating wind projects in Wales

Welsh renewable energy developer Hiraeth Energy, which Venn Associates co-founded, today announced that it has agreed Heads of Terms with Magnora Offshore Wind  to co-develop floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.

Hiraeth Energy is focused on delivering clean energy at scale, with an emphasis on maximising the benefits of its projects to Wales whilst ensuring environmental sustainability. This collaboration with Magnora Offshore Wind will enable the partners to proceed with developing two floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea, Môr Glas and Môr Gwyrdd, with up to 700MW total installed capacity.

Magnora Offshore Wind is a partnership between Magnora and TechnipFMC, combining Magnora’s extensive renewable and offshore project development expertise with TechnipFMC’s comprehensive experience of executing large integrated offshore projects and delivering industry leading technologies.

Together the partners believe that they present a progressive approach to the development of offshore wind projects, which will have a more beneficial impact on coastal communities and for Wales generally. The partnership is committed to enabling a proportion of community ownership in its projects and has ring-fenced 10% of the Môr Glas and Môr Gwyrdd  projects for this purpose. This commitment to local ownership is believed to be unrivalled within the offshore renewables sector in the UK.

Joseph Kidd, Partner at Hiraeth Energy, said:

“The climate and nature emergencies demand urgent action from governments, regulators, developers and investors. This investment from Magnora, a leading clean energy specialist, will help Wales in its ambition to create a zero-carbon economy, whilst clearly demonstrating the benefits of local ownership for the people of Wales. We will develop our projects according to best practice in sustainability, and we will work closely with stakeholders to ensure that we maximise the benefits of our projects for nature and to the people of Wales.”

Kristin Gjertsen, Managing Director of Magnora Offshore Wind said:

“We are progressing the expansion of our pipeline of offshore wind projects, and act on opportunities with strong, committed and competent partners. Together with Hiraeth Energy we believe that we represent a progressive approach to the development of offshore wind projects, creating long-term value in all project phases.”

Jess Hooper of Marine Energy Wales, said:

“The potential for floating wind development in the Celtic Sea is huge and is attracting interest from developers around the world. Marine Energy Wales is delighted that the partnership between Hiraeth Energy and Magnore Offshore Wind has such a strong focus on maximising the benefits to Wales, and commitment to enabling community ownership in its project.”

 

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Venn developing Regional Locational Guidance for Welsh waters

Venn Associates is delighted to be working with Atkins and Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum to develop Regional Locational Guidance for Welsh Government for the aquaculture, wave and tidal sectors. Venn is able to provide valuable development insight for both marine energy and aquaculture through its network of experienced associates. The work will build on previous work characterising the resource around Wales, identifying constraints, and opportunities. The outputs of the work will inform the marine planning process being undertaken by Welsh Government, as well as being a valuable resource for developers looking at potential new projects in Welsh waters.

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Pioneering hydrogen project in Milford Haven

Joseph Kidd, Venn Associates Director, has provided initial project management support to an exciting new £4m project launched in Milford Haven in March 2020. The project aims to accelerate the transition to an integrated hydrogen and renewable energy system by creating diverse, local, community-based markets that integrate with, and benefit from, the cluster of major energy infrastructure along the Milford Haven Waterway. Further details here:

https://ore.catapult.org.uk/stories/milford-haven-energy-kingdom/

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Venn provides due diligence support for EU funded programme to support tidal energy deployment.

Venn Associates is working with Baldock Energy to provide due diligence support to the TIGER project, a €46.8m EU funded project that will build cross-border partnerships to develop new technologies, test and demonstrate up to 8 MW of new tidal capacity at a number of locations around the Channel region. Further project details can be be found here:

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/tiger-tidal-stream-project/

 

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Venn qualifies to be on the Welsh Government framework for Marine Evidence

Venn Associates has qualified to be on the Welsh Government framework for Marine Evidence as part of a strong collaborative team led by Atkins which also includes MarineSpace and Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum. Welsh Government will use the framework to contract specialist support services across a range of marine sectors including offshore wind, aquaculture, marine energy, subsea cables and ports & harbours.

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Venn support development of the Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE)

Venn Associates and Dragonfly Project Delivery have provided initial strategic support related to the development of the Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE), a nationally important new development which will be based in Pembroke Dock.

MEECE, which is being led by the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, will provide specialist knowledge, experience and capability for the benefit of marine industries, providing a centre for collaboration through coordinated, joint-industry / cross-industry approaches, whilst disseminating lessons learned for future projects and improving industry productivity and effectiveness.

Both Venn Associates and DPD have extensive experience of the marine energy sector and other marine industries which has been used to help ORE Catapult identify research priorities and establish new processes for MEECE, as well as engaging with technology developers and supply chain to start putting together the first research projects to be delivered by the new centre of excellence.

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Venn helps establish tidal developer in Wales

Venn has supported Edinburgh-based Nova Innovation over the past year in establishing the company in Wales. Nova is one of the worlds leading tidal technology developers having installed and operated the worlds first tidal array off Shetland in Scotland. Venn support has focussed on the development of two new tidal projects, including stakeholder engagement, securing an Agreement for Lease from The Crown Estate, applications for project funding, and kicking off the consenting process. Venn has also helped secure funding to establish an office in north Wales and recruitment of a new development team.  Further info can be found at – http://www.marineenergywales.co.uk/nova-innovation-expands-in-wales/