22 April 2024 – BW Ideol, a global leader in floating offshore wind, and Holcim, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a feasibility study on supplying beneficial low-carbon concrete for the floating offshore wind industry, with particular reference to Scotland.
BW Ideol and Holcim aim to collaborate on optimising the supply of the innovative concrete needed for the intended mass production of BW Ideol’s floaters in the Port of Ardersier. Low-carbon concrete’s advantages as a building material for offshore windfarms include its durability in marine environments, its local availability and its comparatively lower carbon emissions.
The collaboration includes developing specific durable maritime low-carbon concrete mixes with enhanced mechanical performance perfectly suited to slipform application. This is part of Holcim’s ECOPact portfolio of innovative low-carbon solutions for sustainable construction. Holcim will leverage the research and products developed at its global Innovation Center in France.
It will also seek to optimize and develop the local supply chain, in particular through Aggregate Industries, a Holcim subsidiary, one of the leading UK suppliers of construction materials.
“With this very relevant agreement with Holcim, we are taking another step in the industrialization of our floating foundations. By leveraging the expertise and experience of a world-class leader in construction materials, these joint investigations will enhance our capacity to secure our plans for serial production lines and enhance local content and carbon footprint, to the benefit of our partners and the floating wind industry,” remarked Paul de la Guérivière, CEO of BW Ideol.
About Holcim: Holcim is a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions with net sales of CHF 27.0 billion in 2023. Driven by our purpose to build progress for people and the planet, our 63,448 employees are on a mission to decarbonize building, while improving living standards for all. We empower our customers across all regions to build better with less, with a broad range of low-carbon and circular solutions, from ECOPact and ECOPlanet to our circular technology platform ECOCycle®. Through innovative systems, from Elevate roofing to PRB insulation, Holcim makes buildings more sustainable in use, driving energy efficiency and green retrofitting. With sustainability at the core of our strategy, we are on the way to becoming a net-zero company with 1.5°C targets validated by SBTi.