Industry experts join developer’s growing team
This month, Maryland-based offshore wind developer US Wind, Inc. continued to fill out its roster with three new industry experts, welcoming Albert Ploeg, Gener Gotiangco, and Benjamin Cooper to the company.
With over 35 years of offshore engineering and construction experience, including 16 years in the offshore wind sector, Albert Ploeg joins the US Wind team as Construction Manager. In this role, Ploeg will lead the company’s construction program, including installation of the wind farm offshore. Ploeg has been heavily involved in the detailed design of support structures and offshore construction activities for more than ten offshore wind projects, including the first Dutch offshore wind park, Noordzeewind, and the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind facility.
Retired Coast Guard Captain Benjamin Cooper joins US Wind as Director of Marine Affairs. Cooper spent 30 years in service to the United States, most recently serving as Chief of Staff for District 9 of the U.S. Coast Guard in the Great Lakes region. Cooper's career saw assignments throughout the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, Great Lakes, and elsewhere, where his work was focused mainly on emergency management and maritime security efforts. In his new role at US Wind, Cooper will lead the company’s marine affairs efforts, including working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and other marine stakeholders to ensure safe navigation for all mariners during the company’s development and operations phases.
Gener Gotiangco will serve as US Wind's Senior Director for Transmission Development, responsible for leading onshore transmission interconnection efforts. Gotiangco will work closely with the permitting and technical teams as the commercial lead, bringing with him more than 30 years of experience to the MarWin project. Gotiangco has developed and managed operations for transmission systems, thermal power plants, and renewable projects throughout his career, most recently serving as Vice President for Operations at Kindle Energy. In that role, he led the development of a 230 kv transmission system upgrade and managed operations for a portfolio of 5,200 MW of thermal generation.
"Getting Ben, Gener, and Albert onboard brings us another step closer to delivering clean energy and good jobs to Maryland," said Jeff Grybowski, US Wind CEO. "Their vast knowledge, expertise and proven abilities will ensure the successful buildout of our lease area in the years to come."
About US Wind
US Wind was founded in 2011 and has established its position as a premier offshore wind energy development company in the United States. In 2014, US Wind obtained a federal lease for site control to develop approximately 1.5 GW of offshore wind power generation off the coast of Maryland. US Wind is majority-owned by Renexia SpA, a leader in renewable energy development in Italy and a subsidiary of Toto Holding SpA. Toto Holding SpA has more than 40 years of experience specializing in large construction and infrastructure projects, primarily in the energy, transportation, and aviation sectors.
