Windpower top 30 (2014)

Windpower Monthly has published its fourth yearly list of the most influential people in the wind industry. Jérôme Guillet, Managing Director of Green Giraffe is again included in the list.

“24. Jerome Guillet, MD, Green Giraffe”

One of only two financial entries in this year’s Top 30 list, Jerome Guillet earns his place as a consistent supporter of wind, largely offshore.

He founded Green Giraffe in early 2010 with fellow managing director Niels Jongste. Since its inception, the company has grown from ten people to the current 25. While the bank started out with relatively limited ambitions, to provide financing solely for offshore wind projects, it has since broadened its horizons to take in new fields, and is now active across the whole renewable energy market.

However, it is still its work with offshore developers that makes it stand out – most significantly the 600MW Gemini wind farm in the Netherlands. Guillet’s himself was key to closing the deal, working with developer Northland Power throughout the financing and project structuring.

The importance of the Gemini financing stems from the fact that more projects are being financed through debt due to the inability of large utilities to fund projects outright. It is the largest non-recourse financing for an offshore wind farm to date and is seen as setting the agenda for future projects, particularly those developed by independent power producers. Close to EUR 3 billion was raised from the financial markets.

Green Giraffe can also count the financing of a number of other major offshore projects among its achievements, including the 216MW Northwind, 288MW Meerwind, 367MW Walney and 195MW Agrowind projects. It is currently working on the 30MW Block Island project in the US, together with the 332MW Nordsee 1 and 400MW Veja Mate developments in Germany.

While Guillet and Jongste hold the same position at the company, Guillet has a higher profile in the wind industry, and makes regular appearances on the conference circuit.

Click here for the Windpower Monthly top 30 article

Jérôme Guillet co-founded Green Giraffe in 2010 and was a Managing Director until 2021.