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Ribbon cutting with (from L to R) Antti Inkinen, Carsten Heine Lund, John Mørk and Danish Ambassador H.E. Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin.
On Thursday last week, the NIRAS Manila office was decked in red and white, a nod to the brand logo and the firm’s roots in Denmark. The space brimmed with life as toasts and speeches were made before attendees settled into a busy network of engagement and conversation.
The Manila team welcomed two ambassadors from Denmark and Finland, respectively, H.E. Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin and H.E. Juha Markus Pyykko, as well as the Philippines Department of Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo J. Bacordo. Other guests included the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Executive Director Donald Bobiash, who was accompanied by other ADB representatives. Leaders from the private sector and non-government organisations also joined the celebrations.
For NIRAS Manila, this celebration is more than just a ribbon cutting at the team’s new place of work – it signifies a major positive change that the company has been making since it first established an official presence in the Philippines in 2018. Now located near the ADB headquarters, one of the company’s major clients, the NIRAS Manila office is gearing for growth in new areas.
“In spite of the pandemic, in these first few years in the country, we have been able to grow, deliver projects and expand our services in the Philippines. We are now truly on the verge of an exciting phase as we enter new markets with strong competences in the offshore wind sector, as well as engineering,” NIRAS Philippines Country Director Antti Inkinen said during his speech. “NIRAS is a multidisciplinary company that covers many sectors, and we’re a microcosm of that as we become more active in these different fields.”
I’m happy that NIRAS is here in the country. In the future, whenever we have consultations, I’m definitely going to invite your experts to share their experiences.
Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo Bacordo
NIRAS’s solid track record in offshore wind and engineering spans across countries – Sweden, Taiwan, parts of Northern Europe and the UK are only some of the places where the company’s expertise shines. With this knowledge base, the Philippines and Asia-Pacific stand to benefit greatly from the company’s services, especially since there is a scaling demand for offshore wind in the region.
“We’ve been in the Asia-Pacific region for over 30 years and have been moving to new fields, including those where the markets take us,” NIRAS Market Director for Asia Christian Sandberg remarked. “We see tremendous opportunities in the Philippines and want to identify and focus on the markets our team can add value to, whether through partnerships with clients or by teaming up with other businesses that offer other service deliveries.”
Plus, having local experts in offshore wind and engineering spells major potential opportunities ahead for NIRAS. NIRAS Senior Vice President for Infrastructure Carsten Heine Lund attributes this in part to the many qualified and dedicated professionals in the country.
“There’s a shortage of quality engineering talent in general, but there’s a lot in the Philippines, so it’s a great place for us to expand,” he says. Besides easily finding experts, Carsten also notes there are huge investments in the country in offshore, ports and other relevant industries, which will propel the team’s growth and success in the future.
What I think NIRAS can do is help the Philippines build a sustainable economic future for itself.
Danish Ambassador H.E. Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin
“Today marks a big step at NIRAS as we have added new offerings and service lines,” Carsten said. “As a representative of the company’s infrastructure sector, I am happy to see the budding engineering office here at Manila and trust that, in the next few years, we become a much bigger team.”
Christoffer Truelsen, NIRAS Vice President for Ports, Marine, Geotechnics, Tunnel and Bridges shared Carsten’s excitement at being part of the Philippines’ offshore journey because of the knowledge and experience NIRAS could offer. “I have the honour of being a part of an international organisation that does a lot of ports terminals around the world. This has led us to a unique position where we’re able to adapt the European demand for offshore wind and have a very key position in the whole planning scheme of making ports adaptable to the supply chain in the country.”
As the Philippines ramps up its shift to renewable energy, H.E. Mellbin noted that two of the key sectors Denmark is looking to contribute to in the country are sustainability and energy.
“Those are the opportunities we’re focusing on,” he says, adding that over the next decade, the Danish Government sees a 6-7% growth in the Philippines. “But the country needs to think about sustainability now so that it will be able to combine economic growth and a sustainable future,” he adds. “What I think NIRAS can do is help the Philippines build a sustainable economic future for itself.”
NIRAS Vice President for Offshore Wind Tim Norman couldn’t agree more and is proud to see this green energy industry booming in Asia, including NIRAS’s homebase for offshore wind: Taiwan.
“It’s really exciting to be here in Manila, where we’re taking our first steps towards forming a local team to contribute to the emerging offshore wind market in the Philippines,” Tim said, adding, “There is an integral connection between offshore wind and engineering. And it is this very combination that makes NIRAS equipped to handle major projects in countries aspiring to integrate renewables in their energy-intensive industries.”
To the Philippines Energy Undersecretary, Mr Bacordo, the country’s sustainable economic future is well underway. Because energy transition offers “the best contribution” to sustainable development, his department is targeting to have 35% of renewables in the power generation mix by 2030 and 50% by 2040. Offshore wind will play a large role in achieving these targets.
“I’m happy that NIRAS is here in the country. In the future, whenever we have consultations, I’m definitely going to invite your experts to share their experiences,” Bacordo said.
With NIRAS Manila’s local experts, supported by the expertise and experience of our other offices around the globe, the Philippines is well on its way to realising its sustainable potential, a goal that is achievable with the help of development partners who are just as passionate and committed to building a greener and more liveable world.
