WFO Launches Dispute Resolution Committee for Offshore Wind

World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) has announced the establishment of an Offshore Dispute Resolution Committee (ODRC), which aims to develop alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for the global offshore wind industry.

According to WFO, the new mechanisms will be set up to resolve offshore wind project disputes in a timely and cost-effective manner.

“The increasing number of legal disputes and court cases within the fast-growing offshore wind industry has created a strong demand for tailor-made alternative dispute resolution mechanisms”, WFO said.

“The highly complex nature of a large-scale offshore wind project throughout its lifetime from development and construction to operations requires solutions that leverage existing experience, industry knowledge as well as the ability to make quick and balanced decisions”.

The new Committee will bring together companies from around the world to focus on one specific topic: developing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for offshore wind. The ODRC is open to all WFO members and will combine leading players from all parts of the global offshore wind value chain with internationally recognised legal experts who have deep knowledge of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, WFO said.

The (also newly created) Secretariat for Dispute Resolution Services will manage and support all activities and services initiated by the ODRC. In a first step, WFO and the new Secretariat for Dispute Resolution Services will start to set up a pool of experts in various offshore-wind-related disciplines with proven track records in offshore wind dispute resolution.

“We are fully convinced that our new Offshore Dispute Resolution Committee will be as impactful as our Floating Offshore Wind Committee which quickly evolved into a powerful industry platform fostering knowledge exchange within the global offshore community”, said Gunnar Herzig, Managing Director, World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO).