Sep 16, 2026 · 45 min · 10 segments
In this episode of Offshore Wind Leaders, host Ivar Slengesol speaks with offshore wind pioneer Huub den Rooijen, whose career spans more than 25 years across Shell, The Crown Estate, and the wider…
So you spent more than a decade at the Crown Estate in different roles, like you said.
I hadn't expected anything different And then suddenly you receive such a very official letter and basically it says, would you accept? And it brought tears to my eyes because it's an enormous sign of recognition.
And the bit that made me feel really good is it is for renewable energy and environmental protection.
And it's the second bit that was really important because in the Crown Estate, we have worked so hard on making sure that this enormous energy transition towards offshore wind is something that can coexist with the natural environment.
Ecological systems offshore are enormously under pressure when you talk about the fish, the mammals, seabirds, coastal ecosystems, enormous pressure.
And it is essential that when you plunk a big amount of hardware into the system that you do so in a way that is ecologically sound.
So together with a colleague in the Crown Estate, we initiated something that is now called the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Program.
And in fact, if you go to the Crown Estate website, you can see the annual report of the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Program and you can download it for free.
And what it is, OEC, as we call it, is effectively a collaboration of 26 large bodies in the UK, statutory bodies like the Navigation Safety Institute called Trinity House and government departments, but also industry.
So what you get is you effectively get a brain trust of people recognizing the enormous transition that's happening offshore and saying, what is the evidence that we need collectively to be able to make the right decisions? Because without data, you can't make decisions.
And OECD, was purposely set up and is funded by the Crown Estate, now with a total of 50 million pounds.
It was purposely set up to identify where we have lacunae, where we have gaps in our understanding, and then to run programs to address those funding gaps.
And it's executing a wide range of collaborative, ecologic, environmental, but also navigation safety studies, the effects of buried electric cables on electromagnetic field sensitive fish species, etc.
So you spent more than a decade at the Crown Estate in different roles, like you said.
I hadn't expected anything different And then suddenly you receive such a very official letter and basically it says, would you accept? And it brought tears to my eyes because it's an enormous sign of recognition.
And the bit that made me feel really good is it is for renewable energy and environmental protection.
And it's the second bit that was really important because in the Crown Estate, we have worked so hard on making sure that this enormous energy transition towards offshore wind is something that can coexist with the natural environment.
Ecological systems offshore are enormously under pressure when you talk about the fish, the mammals, seabirds, coastal ecosystems, enormous pressure.
And it is essential that when you plunk a big amount of hardware into the system that you do so in a way that is ecologically sound.
So together with a colleague in the Crown Estate, we initiated something that is now called the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Program.
And in fact, if you go to the Crown Estate website, you can see the annual report of the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Program and you can download it for free.
And what it is, OEC, as we call it, is effectively a collaboration of 26 large bodies in the UK, statutory bodies like the Navigation Safety Institute called Trinity House and government departments, but also industry.
So what you get is you effectively get a brain trust of people recognizing the enormous transition that's happening offshore and saying, what is the evidence that we need collectively to be able to make the right decisions? Because without data, you can't make decisions.
And OECD, was purposely set up and is funded by the Crown Estate, now with a total of 50 million pounds.
It was purposely set up to identify where we have lacunae, where we have gaps in our understanding, and then to run programs to address those funding gaps.
And it's executing a wide range of collaborative, ecologic, environmental, but also navigation safety studies, the effects of buried electric cables on electromagnetic field sensitive fish species, etc.
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