ABP creates new projects role

Francis Paonessa will take up the role of the port operator’s first capital projects director, reporting directly to ABP’s chief executive, Henrik L. Pedersen. Panoessa will also assume responsibility for the corporate engineering function to ensure an end-to-end focus on strategy and delivery.

“I’m excited to be joining ABP and working with the team to make a whole portfolio of significant projects a reality,” said Paonessa.

“I’ve been really impressed by the vision and ambition ABP has to grow, not only in their core role of providing the UK’s main gateways for trade, but also through their rapidly expanding role as providers and enablers of infrastructure for the UK’s energy transition.”

Paonessa joins ABP in April from Thames Water. Prior to that he was managing director of infrastructure projects at Network Rail, heading up the UK’s largest portfolio of capital projects.

Amongst ABP’s pipeline of major projects are:

• A multi gigawatt scale floating offshore wind and green industries hub at Port Talbot.
• The Immingham Green Energy Terminal for the handling of green hydrogen, ammonia and sequestrated carbon.
• Infrastructure to support offshore wind development in Scottish waters on the Cromarty Firth.
• The Immingham Eastern RoRo Terminal to expand UK-EU freight ferry capacity.
• The major upgrading and expansion of the Solent Gateway port of Marchwood.