Industry heavy hitter appointed project development director for Salamander floating wind farm

Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7 have appointed Hugh Yendole as development director for Salamander, a pioneering floating offshore wind joint venture.

With over 25 years’ experience in the wind industry, Hugh has played a crucial role in delivering and managing multiple ground-breaking offshore and onshore developments across the UK, Europe and the US. Most notable examples include Ørsted’s London Array, Burbo and Walney Extensions, and Hornsea 1. His expertise spans senior positions in project development, engineering, asset and technology management.

Hugh joins the project from within Ørsted, where he remains employed, and has spent 12 years across various key roles, most recently as director and asset manager for Ørsted’s west coast UK offshore wind farms.

Starting at the end of summer, Hugh will be responsible for the overarching delivery of the project, managing commercial negotiations and developing stakeholder relationships.

Hugh said: “I’m really looking forward to heading Salamander. It is a pioneering stepping-stone project ushering in an exciting new era of possibilities for green energy generation. It’s a privilege to be joining the talented team already supporting this revolutionary project.

“Salamander provides a fantastic opportunity to show that floating offshore wind can significantly contribute to the UK’s energy mix, help us meet the net zero targets set by the Scottish and UK governments, and build a UK-focused supply chain. The ongoing efforts from the Ørsted, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7 teams prove that collaboration is essential to successfully driving windfarm projects from start to finish.”

Prior to Hugh Yendole’s appointment, Salamander was led by Huw Bell who successfully acted as a caretaker for the project and will remain on board to oversee its delivery.

To be located 35km off the coast of Peterhead, the 100 MW Salamander floating offshore wind farm will generate enough green energy to power 100,000 Scottish homes, making it a key contributor to the delivery of the Scottish Government’s offshore wind target of 11GW by 2030.

Salamander will also provide vital insights and help establish best practices for future commercial scale developments in Scottish waters, ahead of the larger-scale ScotWind buildout. 

Further information on the wind farm can be found at: www.salamanderfloatingwind.com.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE