Crown Estate Announces Appointment of First Head of Offshore Wind Energy (UK)

The Crown Estate has today (6 January 2012) announced the appointment of Huub den Rooijen as its first Head of Offshore Wind Energy. Huub will take up the post in the spring of 2012. He has played a major role in some of the biggest offshore wind projects in Europe and advised many of the industry’s leading companies.

Huub is a Director of Project Management Support Services Ltd, where he has advised clients in the UK, Europe and Asia. He is currently working with Ventolines B.V., a Dutch developer, where as Project Director of the Westermeerwind project he is leading the delivery of Europe’s first inland lake-based wind farm. Earlier in his career Huub led the successful delivery of the first offshore wind farm in Dutch waters, and was responsible for the delivery of Blyth offshore wind farm, the first in the North Sea.

Huub will lead the delivery of The Crown Estate’s offshore wind programmes around the UK, including its Round 3 programme which is set to deliver a quarter of the UK’s electricity needs by 2020. The Crown Estate plays a central role in facilitating the expansion of offshore wind electricity generation, which has the potential to generate thousands of jobs in the UK.

In welcoming the appointment, Rob Hastings, The Crown Estate’s Director of the Marine Estate, said: “Huub is a tremendous addition to our already strong team of renewable energy experts, and we are delighted to have attracted someone with his experience and expertise. His appointment as a dedicated Head of Offshore Wind Energy is testament to our long-term commitment to driving the offshore wind industry forward.”

On his new appointment, Huub den Rooijen, said: “To work for The Crown Estate is an exciting opportunity for me – it is an organisation which in a relatively short period of time has enabled the UK to become a renewable energy industry world leader. I look forward to seizing the opportunity to lead a dedicated offshore wind team at the heart of the industry, to further cement the organisation’s track record of facilitating renewable energy development.”

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Offshore Wind Staff, January 6, 2012