Avangrid Renewables, a leading developer of utility-scale solar, onshore and offshore wind projects, recently announced the appointment of Bill White as head of U.S. offshore wind and Sy Oytan as deputy CEO of Vineyard Wind. Through its partnership with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Avangrid Renewables is jointly developing Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, and Park City Wind, which will supply Massachusetts and Connecticut, respectively, with clean renewable energy.
White will lead the development and implementation of Avangrid Renewables’ overall offshore wind strategy in the U.S. Oytan will be joining White’s team and will oversee business management, finance, development, and delivery for the Vineyard Wind and Park City projects.
“Throughout his career, Bill has helped lay the foundation for the U.S. offshore wind industry,” said president and CEO of Avangrid Renewables Alejandro de Hoz. “His experience, expertise, and relationships will further strengthen Avangrid Renewables’ position as an industry leader. Sy’s background in offshore wind-project development and delivery makes him a tremendous addition to our team. His expertise will facilitate the successful development of these two groundbreaking offshore wind projects for Massachusetts and Connecticut.”
In addition to the two southern New England projects, Avangrid Renewables is developing its wholly-owned Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind project, a proposed 2,500-MW offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina. In total, Avangrid Renewables has an offshore wind development pipeline of nearly 5 GW, enough to power approximately 2 million American homes.
“I’m proud to join the pioneers of the North American offshore wind industry,” White said. “Avangrid Renewables is leading a new American energy transition that will create thousands of jobs while producing clean, affordable energy to tackle our mounting climate emergency. I am thrilled to join such a strong team dedicated to launching the future of U.S. clean energy offshore.”
Prior to joining Avangrid Renewables, White served as president and CEO of EnBW North America, the U.S. offshore wind subsidiary of the German utility. He was previously the senior director of offshore wind sector development for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center where he led the state’s offshore wind planning efforts and directed initiatives to support the responsible siting of offshore wind projects.
Additionally, White served in the White House as a special assistant to the president and as assistant secretary at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. He is a graduate of Boston College’s School of Management and the Harvard Kennedy School.
“Vineyard Wind is breaking new ground with the first large-scale offshore wind farms in the waters of the United States,” Oytan said. “Joining the team that’s helping make this project a reality and growing a new U.S. industry is a terrific opportunity.”
Oytan joins Avangrid Renewables from Arup, where he led offshore wind development efforts for the multinational engineering firm. Previously, he worked for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority where he spearheaded a range of offshore wind port and supply chain development initiatives for the State of New Jersey. During his career, he led the development, delivery, construction, and advisory on 6.5 GW of onshore and offshore wind-energy projects in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He has also held a variety of leadership positions at Siemens Gamesa and Schlumberger. He is a mechanical engineer with a master’s degree in industrial management from Clemson University.
White and Oytan will be based, respectively, in Avangrid Renewables’ and Vineyard Wind’s offices in Boston, Massachusetts.
More info: www.avangridrenewables.com
