Swiss building materials company Holcim has taken a minority equity stake in floating wind specialist BW Ideol as it seeks to scale up construction of clean energy infrastructure, the companies said.
As part of the investment, Holcim and BW Ideol will form a strategic partnership to supply materials to two fabrication lines producing floating offshore wind foundations, located in southern France and northeast Scotland, Holcim said.
BW Ideol said it has 15 years of experience in the design, engineering and fabrication of offshore floating wind foundations, and holds equity stakes in a 960-megawatt project off Scotland’s northeast coast and a 270-megawatt project off southern France.
“We are delighted to be able to scale up BW Ideol’s best-in-class innovative designs and engineering of floating foundations for offshore wind, a key part of the energy transition,” said Dragan Maksimovic, Holcim’s region head for western Europe.
He added that Holcim’s patented lightweight, low-carbon concrete is well suited to offshore wind projects and that the partnership will follow a local-for-local approach to support regional economies.
BW Ideol chief executive Paul de la Guérivière said the investment underlined growing confidence in concrete-based floating wind technology. “This investment sends a powerful message to the floating offshore wind industry, confirming the maturity and deliverability of concrete foundation solutions,” he said.
“With Holcim by our side, we’re making significant strides in our large-scale, concrete serial fabrication strategy,” de la Guérivière added, saying the approach is aimed at lowering costs and supporting the wider deployment of floating wind.
Holcim said the investment is aligned with its NextGen Growth 2030 strategy, which focuses on expanding sustainable construction solutions and supporting the energy transition.
